In which Dawn Summers' world is forever changed
by kwritten
Summary: In which Dawn Summers crashes into a boy in the hallway and is swept into a new world. BtVS/kpop RPF crossover ::: Dawn and the Scoobies cross paths with the members of Infinite, Miss A, (and maybe 9 Muses) in an AU-Sunnydale set just after "Chosen" ... love and schmoopy-ness abound! Spuffy, 2Wooyeol, eventual Dawn/Sunggyu...
1. Chapter 1

Dawn waved goodbye to her sister one last time, turning every few paces to still see her sister standing there, her arms folded and a soft smile on her face, and looked down to fondle her new cell phone with her thumb, turning a corner and — WHAM!

Dawn looked up from her new position on the floor, her books and new pens scattered, her brand new phone already a little scuffed, and saw a boy just standing there, his face somewhat blank. He seemed to barely register that she had crashed - full-bodied - right into him. Either he was incredibly strong or just daft, she couldn't tell.

"Sorry!" she said up to him as she scrambled to pick up her things. Not that he noticed, not that he even really looked down at her. What kind of freak just stands there like that without moving?! Dawn stood and looked the boy right in the face, ready to tell him off.

Only his face took her breath away. Yeah - he was somehow still completely oblivious or completely uncaring about her presence less than two feet from him - but he was stunning. Dawn shifted from foot to foot. "Um… I'm sorry for crashing into you." She chewed her lip, "I'm Dawn. Dawn Summers… um?" She extended her hand and he actually looked down at it, and at her, confusedly.

Suddenly two boys swooped in on either side. The taller one (Dawn was so dazed this was at first the only distinguishing characteristic between the three) put his right arm around the silent wall and shook him, "Kim Myungsoo - you dork - wake up! A pretty girl is trying to say hello to you!" And then he winked good gods above and below he winked and Dawn felt as though she'd swoon right then and smiled at her. Kim Myungsoo blinked at her and bowed slightly, "Annyong."

The boy on her left smiled at her and shrugged at him companions, holding out his hand: "I'm Sunjong, this is Sungyeol," he nodded towards the taller boy, "And that is Myungsoo." He shoved the wall (who was now completely absorbed in his companion, playing with the boy's backpack and staring up at him, his eyes suddenly and finally taking in his surroundings … not that she could blame him for ignoring her in the presence of that).

She nodded, "I'm Dawn."

"Forgive him, please," the taller one (Sungyeol?!) said with a smile that smile made Dawn's stomach drop to her knees. "We're all still a little… um… shellshocked?"

The wall blinked at her for the first time, "Everything's still really new here."

He said it without context, but Dawn nodded, "I understand." She instinctively reached out to touch the boy's arm, to connect with him since he seemed so lost in himself.

She heard in their voices the bright tinge of an accent, the way their mouths shaped themselves over the English words was still new - a little fresh and with a sense of discomfort.

They weren't the only huddle of shy, misplaced students in the hallway. It was the first day of a new school, nothing about them was out of place. Everyone was new. In addition, the Korean population in Sunnydale seemed to have boomed over night. Business was never better for Giles' shop, for many brought with them sensibilities and superstitions long since neglected by those long in a world that rejected old-held beliefs. Most of the immigrants were students at the University, taking advantage of a new outreach program the UC Sunnydale's board had concocted. There were a few families here and there, but Dawn hadn't really anticipated anyone near her age.

Also all three were disgustingly attractive.

The wall (Myungsoo, she told herself) grabbed her hand fiercely as the youngest - Sungjong - snatched the schedule right out of her hand. As Myungsoo clung to her with a derpy grin on his face (she tried to take that as a good sign), Sungjong muttered over her schedule. "Okay kids - you all have the start of the day together on the other side of campus. I'll see you at lunch." He nodded to Dawn as he passed off her schedule to the taller boy and sauntered off down the hallway. Sungyeol yipped and grinned, his arm still around Myungsoo - who was still tethered to Dawn's hand - it was all rather endearing and a little overwhelming, "He's right, we have our first three classes together."

And then he turned on his heel and started walking decidedly down the hall, her schedule still in his hand. He walked like a runway model. It was disconcerting.

Myunsoo cocked his head at her for a moment and then spun her around, pulling her arm through his as though he was a gentleman leading her into a ballroom. "Well," he said shyly as they scrambled to catch up to Sungyeol's long stride, "Ready for class?"

She laughed and squeezed his hand, "Now."


	2. Chapter 2

Her first three periods pass by in a blur. What she'll remember later is Myungsoo sitting behind her in every class so that he can play with her hair, holding on to her hand for dear life as they try to keep pace with Sungyeol as they dash to class (though she's figured out within a few moments that he'd probably hold her hand in the hallways anyway), and his laughter shooting out from behind her anytime Sungyeol does anything remotely funny. What she remembers is how Sungyeol's eyes follow her to her seat, how he sits next to her – scooting his chair closer to hers to whisper little jokes during class, his eyes dancing, his mouth widening into a gummy smile, how quick and witty he is, how attentive to Myungsoo – always delivering each joke to them both, encouraging the other boy to answer questions and speak up. She adapts to them so quickly it seems impossible, noting when Myungsoo's mind is wandering and he needs to be pulled back, recognizing when Sungyeol's charm and humor are a little too forced and desperate. She learns these things in just a few short hours.

Fourth period and she is alone, dropping the boys at their classroom door and crossing the hall to her English class. It's California. It's 2000. The new principle is rather progressive, too. Sunnydale High now has a separate class for English-learners. And even though Dawn is sure that all three of them could handle _Hamlet_ with far more ease than most of their classmates (for Sungjong is there, leaning up against a locker with his phone in his hand, completely oblivious to the herd of sophomore girls giggling five paces behind him), she had enrolled in all Honors classes that year (just like every other year). So even if the boys had been placed in the "regular" English class, they still wouldn't be together.

She stands in the doorway to the classroom and pulls back for a moment ignoring the other students who push past her, waiting to listen to the muffled sound of Sungyeol's voice telling a joke across the hall. She doesn't turn to look right away, just listens. She can't actually understand a word he is saying – he's too far away for one, the din of the hallway for another, but more importantly he's speaking in Korean. It's a joke just for his companions. And she knows because of the tone in his voice, the soft lilt that breaks through his enthusiasm that screams: "look, listen. I'm here." So she listens. Even if she can't understand a word.

And most people wouldn't understand that Dawn would care about something so silly and so slight as a joke a boy she only just met is telling someone else ten feet away.

Only that lilt – that little push – she _knows_ that and it hits her right in her gut.

Because even though in the past three months, she has stopped feeling like the smallest Summers, the girl who will never be brave, who will always be ignored. She has stopped feeling responsible for her sister's death, her rebirth, for Willow's addiction, for her mother's death, for Spike's disappearance, for Giles leaving, for Anya's broken heart… She still isn't a full "Scooby" and there's a small part of her that still feels bitter and wants to whine to her mommy about that. Only there's no one to complain to. And anyway, she's getting too old to complain about being ignored. It's just not easy being the younger sister to a Slayer. Epic calling and story and all that. And she's just a little sister who maybe used to be a Key but isn't very much of anything anymore but a normal girl. Who is only really three years old and sometimes that feels so true the whole world spins out of her grasp. Who is actually ancient and sometimes that feels so weighing the whole world is too bright and harsh and close. Who gets frustrated some times. Who wants attention. Who has to remember that she's not a little kid anymore.

So she stands still in the hallway and listens to a joke without turning around because even if he never knows, _someone_ should stand still and listen to him when he needs it so desperately.

Sungjong's response is dry and slightly sarcastic, just a little severe. Myungsoo's laughter overtakes everything, though. Dawn turns to watch the three walk into their classroom, Sungjong leading the way with his nonchalant and secure walk, Sungyeol still beaming from his own joke, and Myungsoo tagging along behind. On his face is the most disturbingly open, twitterpated expression.

His heart is right there – not even on his sleeve (which is the only proper place for something so fragile) – but just there on his face. For the whole world to see. As if he didn't care who knew what could hurt him the most.

Dawn fights the urge to walk over and grab the boy by the shoulders and shake him. She's blown away by his complete lack of self-preservation._Damnit Myungsoo¸ _she thinks. _You can't just walk around looking at him like that. Don't you know how to keep anything inside?_ Not everyone grows up on a Hellmouth. Not everyone would feel so genuinely concerned for a derpy-faced seventeen year old boy.

_But Dawn Summers did grow up on a Hellmouth. And for all that she is very brave and sometimes much stronger than people give her credit for and even though she is very young and sometimes does not protect her own heart the way she should: seeing another's heart so exposed and so easily broken made her wish she knew how to protect something so fragile as a human heart. One doesn't grow up the sister of a warrior without learning a little bit about knowing who needs protection. One doesn't grow up surrounded by knights of old without wanting a cause worth fighting for._

And then all three of them disappear and the door closes and somewhere a bell rings and there's Dawn Summers, standing alone in the hallway of Sunnydale High, and possibly a teacher is calling her name, but she's still trying to piece back together her heart.


	3. Chapter 3

Dawn Summers stood in the hallway awkwardly. Next to her, a group of girls from her English class chattered loudly about class assignments and schedules and weekend plans. She wasn't sure why they had stopped, really –right there, with the quad to their right and the cafeteria to the left. They probably needed a leader, she mused. Someone with the gumption to decide where they were going to sit for the rest of the year; they were all waiting for the jocks and popular kids to decide where they were going before making a decision. It could be disastrous. And it wasn't anything anyone would really say aloud.

(She was not scanning the crowd for a tall boy with long hair; she was not looking for the boy who spent the whole morning playing with her hair; or that boy with a smirk and swagger that she could never tell if it was directed towards her… she was not.)

In her hand was a retro Star Trek lunch box Xander had brought over that morning filled with… well… she hadn't looked yet… But it was most likely filled with a myriad of bachelor snacks that would not constitute as a proper lunch. She held the box with pride, retro-geek was in? (Geek was still in, right?)

(It wouldn't matter in the end.)

For right when Dawn was about ready to storm away from the giggling girls and eat lunch alone, an arm snaked around her waist and a throaty voice near her ear said, "What're you doing here alone? Prince Sungyeol is waiting."

And then Sungjong is steering her out into the quad (and doesn't it just make sense that they would want to be outside) towards a table at the far end next to a patch of grass where Sungyeol is bouncing a soccer ball back and forth on his knees. Sungjong plops himself down at the table (somehow making such a careless movement look so graceful), pulling out of his bag what looks like three small boxes as Dawn eases herself down beside him.

Sungyeol leans over and snatches the pink, round boxy-thing from Sungjong and grins a big gummy smile. Sungjong mutters something in Korean, which only makes Sungyeol's smile broader (though Dawn notices a little flush in his cheeks as he opens the box). Inside the box is what Dawn can only presume is rice and vegetables, but nothing else she can distinguish – it all looks a little too pretty to eat. As Sungyeol starts to fill the air with anecdotes from their day in between bites of food, she peers over and notices that Sungjong's food is much more plain and ordinary in comparison to Sungyeol's elaborate looking lunch.

Myungsoo skulks up a few moments later, accompanied by a small girl in a slightly oversized jean jacket, who chatters to his silence as they walk across the quad. He introduces to her as Suji – a sophomore, Dawn guesses. They sit at the other end of the table and talk quietly together occasionally under Sungyeol's antics, Suji sneaking glances at Dawn from under long eyelashes and smiling as Myungsoo laughs hysterically at every single one of Sungyeol's bad jokes, slurping down noodles messily. Sungjong seems completely absorbed in his phone (and completely oblivious to the herd of girls sitting at the nearest table, obviously angling for his attention).

Dawn looks down at her lunch box and opens it. She was right: a pudding cup, an opened box of Milk Duds, a bag of Cheetos, a few mealy baby carrots in a plastic bag, a handful of Jolly Ranchers, and a large chocolate chip cookie. And a note from Xander and Buffy on a yellow Post-It: "Hope you're having a great first day! XOXO" She stares down at the food and mentally takes note: she has an apple stashed in her locker and about $3.50 in her pocket, she could probably go grab a sandwich from the cafeteria if she…

"Sunbae-nim!" Suji bursts out, pointing to Dawn's lunchbox. "What is that?!"

Dawn looks down at the opened box and laughs, "Something that someone thought was lunch."

Sungyeol sits next to her, facing her as he straddles the bench with his long legs, one sneaking under hers and as the other presses into her back, and puts his arm around her shoulder, "Who would think that this is lunch?"

(Of course as he says it, he snatches the box of Milk Duds and pops one into his mouth. Of course, as he does this, Dawn doesn't feel the need to stop him.)

"My—" Dawn stutters a little. How does one explain Xander? "I guess you could call him… he's like my brother?"

They all nod seriously as if with that one word she explained the universe.

Suji extends her little box of food (as ornately made as Sungyeol's) with a shy smile, "You can share my lunch, sunbae."

And of course Dawn can't get over the fact that for whatever reason, this little girl has completely forgotten her name. So it takes her a minute to process the offer. Or Myungsoo's face as he stares down at his noodles, mentally calculating how much he can spare. "No – that's okay. I can just grab a sandwich from the cafeteria."

Sungjong snorts. Sungyeol's arm holds her in place as he reaches for his box and chopsticks. "No, you'll share my lunch. Hyung always makes too much, anyway."

And when he blushes at Sungjong's next indiscernible comment, throwing a swift kick in his direction, Dawn feels as though she's missing out on some delicious joke.

But before she's able to really ask anyone what the hell is going on, Sungyeol plops a large helping of rice into her mouth, and somewhere Suji is giggling and Sungjong is protesting…

And that is how Dawn Summers ends up being hand-fed an entire lunch by four very insistent and ridiculous Koreans.


	4. Chapter 4

"Excuse me! But this girl would like to add the class!"

Dawn tugged against Sungyeol ineffectively (she fought vampires with a Slayer on the weekend but couldn't detach her arm from one skinny boy's grasp?) as an entire class of students stared at her.

They were in the theater and Sungyeol had drug her all the way down the aisle to where a tall man wearing glasses was sitting, his legs swinging over the edge of the stage. He reminded her distantly of Giles – but only in a very vague tweedy sort of way.

"Is that true? Do you want to join this drama class? There's room," his voice was warm and pleasant, with a feeling of ease to it. As if he were somehow oddly accustomed to very tall boys dragging breathless and frantic girls before him.

"Drama?" Dawn laughed, "No – this period I have ceramics."

Sungyeol dropped her hand and looked down at her, his arms folded across his chest, "Ceramics?" (And suddenly Dawn Summers knew all too well why Sungjong referred to the older boy as "Prince Sungyeol" … and wished she didn't.)

"I'm going to kill you," she hissed up at him sullenly (hopefully out of the teacher's earshot).

Dawn ducked her head around the boy and smiled up at the teacher, "I like Ceramics. It's quiet." She cleared her throat and smiled uncomfortably, "Anyway. I'm no actress."

"Oh no?"

Dawn shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot.

The man on the stage let out a long breath, "I must ask that you try an experiment for me. And then I will allow you back to …. Ceramics."

Dawn began blushing furiously. He was going to make her get up on the stage, she just knew it. The class twittered around her. Suji touched her arm lightly and cooed a soft comfort from behind her.

He hopped down and pat the stage with one hand, "Sit right here and tell us the story of your life. It can take you as long as you want. You can say as many or as few words as you think necessary."

Dawn shrunk into herself. Seriously? Please ask anything but that. She had no desire to reveal her twisted story to a room full of complete strangers.

The man let out a short laugh. "Of course every word MUST be a lie."

"A lie?" Dawn whispered.

He nodded. She handed her bag to Suji and padded up to the stage, hoisting herself up with a little grunt. She looked out at the class blankly for a moment (grinning a little as Suji pulled Sungyeol into a seat a few rows behind the rest of the class, the older boy wiggling and jumping around with unrestrained excitement.)

For a brief, ridiculous moment she thought about telling the very, very truth. Keys and monks and Slayers and hell-gods and death and death and all.

But she lived that story. It wasn't a lie at all.

And anyway, she was tired of that story.

So she spun a sweet, but a little sad, story about a girl she could have been –maybe the one she'd be if she had been allowed to write her own story.

Another girl would probably have told the story of a girl who was just a little too perfect, just a little sweet – but Dawn didn't. Her Self was a little like a girl from a story she once read, probably; someone with stubbornness that allowed her strength, someone with a vulnerability, someone who held a grudge, someone who loved fiercely.

There were some nuggets of truth there – truths that could probably break her if she let them. She was an orphan who never knew her real parents, she had an older sister who was fierce and kind, she had two (adoptive) parents who struggled to make their relationship work … there was still a little loss in her story, still a little pain. She couldn't tell a whole lie.

And anyway – a life without tears wouldn't be Real. Even if this was just a yarn she spun to get out of a class, it still had to be something she would have wanted. And she didn't want to lose herself, even in a new story.

"… And when my dad gets home from his trips to England to visit family, we always make a large sundae spread in the kitchen. Even though Beth is in college now, she still comes over and brings toppings with her."

Dawn focused down on the teacher sitting in the front row, tucking her hair behind one ear (and also maybe surreptitiously wiping a tear from the corner of her eye).

He stood and looked her right in the eye. "You were right, dear." Dawn breathed a sigh of relief and then glanced up at the clock. Twenty minutes had passed!

The instructor turned to the class, "This, class. Is no actress. This is an author! A storyteller! A writer!"

The class erupted into applause. Sungjong jumping up for a standing ovation, tugging Suji up with him as he bounced.

"I'm sorry my dear," he addressed Dawn again. "But you aren't going back to Ceramics. … But you don't have to be on stage if you don't want to. There's plenty of things I think I can teach you… if you'll let me?"

Dawn nodded. She had never been called a writer before. And anyway, it wasn't like another class with Sungyeol would be a burden.

The class continued on like normal for the rest of the period – much to Dawn's relief. As they walked out to their other classes, syllabi in hand, Dawn was held back.

"Your last name. Summers."

"That's right. Dawn Summers. Do I need to talk to the office about getting into this class?"

"No, no. I'll take care of it." He cleared his throat. "So … your sister?"

Dawn tensed. "Buffy."

He nodded. "My younger brother was in your sister's graduating class. Tell her…" He stared off into the distance. "Tell her thank you."

Dawn started to walk away, then turned back – shaking her head at Sungyeol who stood waiting in the doorway. "Mr—?"

"Oh. Blume. Gale Blume."

"Mr. Blume—"

"You can call me Gale."

The smiled sheepishly at each other.

Dawn had never had to ask anyone a question like this before, even in Sunnydale, even with the sister she had. It must have been a sign of growing up or something.

"Did he—did your brother? Is he…?"

"He didn't make it through the graduation ceremony," he laughed a little and shrugged.

Dawn stood silently.

"So many might not have," the way he said it – they both knew. And she knew and smiled.

After all that, she walked to her final class with Sungyeol's arm tight around her shoulders, and Suji's small hand gripping hers tight.

And she thought… maybe she wouldn't kill the twerp after all.


	5. Chapter 5

When Sungjong looked up at her with his wide eyes and said, "Well of course you are coming over for dinner," she didn't have an option. Not really.

Not with Myungsoo's eyes doing that starry little dance that they do when he's really, really present and she actually feels like he can see her.

Not with Sungyeol literally bouncing up and down beside her, unable to contain his excitement. Or his energy. Boy has far more energy than any human Dawn has ever known.

As she took a moment to mull over the younger boy's request, Myungsoo sidled up behind them and caught the Sungyeol around the waist, resting his chin against his other shoulder, without saying anything.

There was no perceptible change –not one that anyone else would have seen. But as Myungsoo pressed himself up against Sungyeol's back, Dawn noted the smallest shift in the taller boy's energy. It wasn't exactly a calming – his fingers still buzzed about – but there was a sense of ease that Sungyeol seemed at times incapable of creating for himself.

She didn't really have an option, but she still protested: "My sister will be expecting me." She thought maybe appealing to Sungjong would be the best bet, so she pushed a little, "She doesn't like me out alone after dark."

Suji tugged on Sungjong's bag and whispered to him something Dawn couldn't make out. He pulled her arm through his and squinted at Dawn, "Your unni has nothing on hers. Come on."

And with Sungyeol on one side, his long stride causing her to almost gallop along beside him, chattering along about the play they (she?) were going to write and produce that semester and Myungsoo on the other, gripping her hand and staring off into space – she really just didn't have it in her heart to say no.

(3:57PM): Made new friends. Invited for dinner, kk? (3:59PM): Be home before dark. Save room for dessert. (3:59PM): Are they vampires? (4:00PM): Walking in the sun. So unless there's a loophole we don't know about… (4:03PM): Xander wants to know if they're demons? (4:04PM): How will I know? (4:07PM): um… He says they'll be attractive… (4:09PM): oh. Obscenely. You won't believe it. (4:10PM): RUN FOR YOUR LIFE! (4:10PM): Sorry, Xand stole the phone from me (4:11PM): txt every hour so I know your safe (4:12PM): I always do (4:18PM): Spike will walk you home if you want to stay later (4:21PM): 3333 thanks sis

It took a little over twenty minutes to get from the high school to the block of duplexes where they lived. It definitely should have only taken them five, ten minutes tops (Dawn may or may not have trekked the same route… in heels… at midnight… while on patrol only two nights previously), but Sungyeol kept prancing around like a puppy –showing off, doing tricks, jumping off sidewalks and rails, kicking his soccer ball across the street and having to run for it, while Myungsoo behaved as though he hung the moon, encouraging each antic. Sungjong and Suji kept a slow pace behind them, occasionally peering into his phone and oohing, and Dawn was positive they were talking about fashion or shoes or something, but she didn't join them.

It was a warm day in Sunnydale –right on the edge of Autumn, when summer in Southern California makes its final stand – there was no homework, no deadlines, no Scooby-meeting, no heavy tome waiting for her to translate, no one waiting anxiously … and so she played.

It was far too easy to play with Sungyeol. He was all smiles and limbs and bouncing, his hair falling into his eyes, his humor restless and hungry. It was all so familiar to her – like a dream she once forgot. And she became all flowing hair and dancing feet and twirling, her limbs stretching out to match his, her laughter easy and covetous. And so they galloped along like newborn fauns.

Cars sped by full of her classmates and she thought briefly of the girl that she was supposed to be – the girl in heels with a head held high – thought of the girl she was – buried underneath books and monsters and epic battles – and laughed louder. Maybe she had grown up too fast. Maybe she had never cavorted in such a reckless fashion. Maybe it was high time she learned how to. Before the world caught up to her again.

When they arrived at Suji's home (a cookie-cutter duplex, one of many in a long row) a small woman –probably around Buffy's age – with wild, curly hair wearing skinny jeans, stilettos, and a loose shirt that exposed the soft flesh just above her jeans under an apron, came streaming out the front door and down the driveway, right into Suji's arms. What commenced next, Dawn would never be quite certain of –there was a flurry of Korean as the woman grabbed Suji by the shoulders and checked the girl (for injury?) and scolded Sungjong (presumably) as he tried to calm her down, standing near Suji protectively. The woman was all cheekbones and lips and hair and fury. Her eyes flashed at Dawn fiercely before Suji was able to whisper a few words in edgewise. And then everyone was being petted and checked on and her voice took that maternal edge that Dawn remembered from when her mother was alive, when Tara was around. That edge that said, "You are all still on my list and I'm not happy, but tell me all the lovely things you did today because I love you and want to know everything." And then a flurry of talking erupted all around her – the boys jumping over each other and gesturing (at one point the woman bowed to Dawn and then touched her hair softly and cooed over her just a little) and laughing until Suji started tugging the woman into the house.

After it became quiet Dawn turned to Sungjong, "Unni? It means sister?"

He smiled wide and nodded, then shrugged, "Sort of."

Dawn laughed to herself. There wasn't much in the world that could take down Buffy Summers – in most things she was more than most people could ever hope to be – but after seeing that little woman's strength oozing out of her body in protection and defense of Suji (and then of the boys, too – so quickly and easily)… "She could probably give even my sister a run for her money."

"Fei's really cool," Myungsoo burst out from behind her. And the other two boys laughed, teasing him gently, heading off across the driveway.

To the other side of the duplex.

Dawn blinked when Sungjong pulled out a key and waggled his eyebrows at her, placing the key in the lock and opening the door. "Sungjong lives next door to Suji?" she asked Sungyeol.

He shrugged, "We all live here."

"Wait. What? You all live together?"

The three of them stared at her like she had grown a third eye. Sungjong shrugged as if her comment didn't dignify a response and swept inside without a second glance back.

And that's how Dawn found herself ushered into a dimly lit little house, her shoes manhandled off her at the door, and thrust into a cramped little living room that looked into a kitchen. At the kitchen table sat two older boys with books and papers spread all over it – obviously studying – Sungjong went straight to them and sat next to one, immediately engaging in a soft conversation as he pulled out books from his own bag and the other two made room for him at the table. As if they did this every day, making space for him as though they were only waiting for him to come claim it. In the living room was another boy, who barely glanced up at them as they entered, absorbed in a video game – Sungyeol tackled him and tore the controller from his hand. Myungsoo plopped himself down on the other couch and watched, laughing.

And then a seventh boy turned away from the stove in the kitchen, a spatula in his hand, calling out something to the boys in the living room in Korean. When he saw Dawn he smiled broadly and bowed.

And he was the most disgustingly attractive human being she had ever laid eyes on.

"Well," she said to the room. "This is just ridiculous."


	6. Chapter 6

"… and I mean really, just wait until you meet him. I think he might be the sweetest person on the planet. And Yeollie (that's what they call him – isn't that cute?) is such a big doufus and I don't think I've ever laughed so hard in my whole… though… okay… Myungsoo always laughs just a little too hard when Yeollie is adorable or even remotely funny. I mean, everyone has jokes that fall flat you know? And Myungsoo will laugh like it's the funniest thing he's ever heard anyway. And then Dongwoo laughs, too – just because he loves to laugh. And I don't even know what to do about that right now. Mostly I think I spent the whole time giggling like a big spaz – I swear I was channeling Willow or something in there. They're all just so stupid and … okay so Sunggyu is a jerk beyond – but it … I don't know because Woohyun obviously loves him SO MUCH and it just doesn't make sense! And oh! He made us dinner – Woohyun, you know – and was so sweet and he takes such good care of everyone (and you can tell that he's the one that cares the most about everyone) and he's not even the oldest. And argh! God Sunggyu just drove me nuts the whole time, skulking in the background like a creeper and yelling at everyone and anyway it's really just the most adorable thing to see the older ones dote on the younger ones because I don't think Hoya does anything without Sungjong at all ever. Except maybe with Dongwoo because they seem to be very close. And anyway dinner was delicious and Woohyun is so cute and sweet and funny and really just obscenely attractive. He should be against the law. He probably is somewhere. Maybe they all moved here to protect him from some sort of attractive-male slave trade or something. And they brought Sunggyu as a distraction. (You should just hear him bicker with everyone and boss them all around like he's some old man and they are just these kids on his lawn. It's gross.) And Dongwoo is just the sweetest though because I think he just loves everyone always and they all just get along really well – except Yeollie and Sunggyu. Don't even get me started on that. I'm still pissed off. Anyway, Yeollie is kind of a jerk sometimes, but in a really endearing way so it doesn't bother me and anyway Woohyun encourages him and teases him and it's so cute. And I think I really felt the most comfortable around Hoya because lord – there's just so much going on! Sungjong with all that sass and Yeollie with all that energy and Myungsoo is always spacing out and Dongwoo is wandering around being just… perfect… and Sunggyu's bitching at everyone and Woohyun's … Woohyun. And Hoya is just so normal, you know? Like he isn't too much. I think he'd get along with anyone. Not that they all wouldn't. It's like you know how sometimes people have just these huge personalities and people like that… they surround themselves with others who are more mellow or something, like there's balance? Like… like a really strong vampire and she has minions? Like that. Only it's all just an explosion of personality and they're all so strong and sweet (except Sunggyu – but I don't even want to talk about HIS obvious control issues) and Hoya's like this big bundle of balance. And I've never met guys who wanted to cuddle so damn much. I mean it's overwhelming. I almost went next door to grab Suji because – there's only so much cuddling a girl can take. And okay. Here it is. Sunggyu flipped when Yeollie and I were cuddling on the couch before dinner talking about this play or something that Yeollie wants to do… and I totally get that they're all … anyway. It was ridiculous. He started ranting in Korean and I'm pretty sure he didn't like that I was touching Yeollie but ugh. Pretty boy and all but there is no way I'm going there like THAT – it would be so weird. It would be like Buffy dating Xander, you know? Gross. Totally not going to happen. And Dongwoo just sort of snuck in on the other side of me and curled right up like totes it was the most normal thing in the world and said something really soft to Sunggyu only he wouldn't stop – and really, boy looks like a deranged hamster when he's mad – and then Woohyun had to pull him into the kitchen to get him to stop – he really just is the sweetest and so fracking cute…"

_After dinner and far too much cuddling with nearly everyone in the house, Dawn finally was able to tear herself free from the passel of boys – who probably took to her much too quickly, but this is after all her story, so who is to say otherwise – and start her trek home. On her way out the door each boy took a turn giving her a fierce and long hug goodbye. They were all sweet boys. Sungyeol, Myungsoo, and Sungjong – being the youngest of the seven – called her "Noona" with respect and bowed a little as she walked out. Hoya teased her over the dinner table, Dongwoo fell quite madly in love with her hair, and Woohyun seemed delighted that she fit in so well with his little family, complimented his cooking, and made Sungyeol's smile just a little wider by being there. _

_The one boy who did not receive a hug that night was one Kim Sunggyu. A short, crisp nod of the head was all the two exchanged as she breezed out the door into the night. Of course, we can forgive Sunggyu for being wary of this female interloper into his domain, for being uncomfortable with the sudden presence of a foreign occupant who carries about her so much ease and humor and inner strength – we can, for I can tell you a secret._

_At the edge of the driveway, Dawn found Spike lurking with a cigarette in his hand and his trusty jacket swinging around him. Without a glance behind, she took his arm and proceeded to tell him every intricate detail of her day (and if he preened a little at her comment regarding Xander's ability to date Buffy, we will ignore it for the sake of his dignity; and if he bristled a little at all this talk of cuddling with strange boys, we will chalk it up to his protective nature; and if he smiled to himself every time her chatter collapsed into fury over one person in particular, we will only smile back; and if she noticed none of this – are we really surprised), much to her companion's chagrin. _

_She didn't look back – but we can. And what she would have seen is one Kim Sunggyu standing on the porch, watching her walk down the street, fidgeting a little when he saw the shadow in the night, his heart dropping slightly when she embraced her companion so easily – as she was wont – and remaining there until long after she had disappeared, only dragged inside when one Nam Woohyun came looking for him._

_And this is a secret our dear heroine may never know, but we can remember in spite of her._

"… I'm super glad I met them and that Yeollie dragged me to that drama class. Spike. I'm in a _drama class_—"

"No Niblet," Spike finally interrupted exasperatingly. "You are on your porch. We have been standing here for five minutes. Can you please go inside now?"

A light went on overhead and Buffy appeared in the doorway, a confused expression on her face. She was dressed in little pink pj shorts and a white tank top, her hair tossed up in a messy bun, "What are you two doing standing on the porch?"

Dawn turned to Buffy, "Oh good! I have to tell you all about –"

"Uh uh." Buffy shook her head, "Pajamas first, dessert and gossip second – _quickly_ – and then bed. It's already way late for a school night." Dawn started to pout (just a little) before Buffy smiled, "I want to hear _everything_ – so be quick!"

Dawn scurried past her sister and flew up the stairs.

Spike sighed in relief. And lit another cigarette. The third since he found Dawn's arm wound through his.

Buffy wrinkled her nose, "I really wish you'd quit."

Spike only shrugged. It had been a long walk home. In every way. He turned to step off the porch.

"Spike?" Buffy's tone was a little petulant, mostly surprised, and a little breathy. Like she had meant to scold him, but halfway through decided seduction was a better bet. He turned and took a long drag. _Damn but she looked good in those little shorts and he longed to run a finger over that little bit of skin that peeked between the edge of her shirt and the top of those stupidly short shorts._ "Aren't you coming in?"

He let out a short laugh, "Gotta kill something first, Slayer." He drawled over the word and it made her blush. He took a large couple of steps up to her and kissed her on the mouth, quickly, and a little too hard. "You will too, once she's done with you." He nodded towards the stairs, just as a loud crashing sound came from upstairs followed by the distant: "_Shit_! … uh… I'm okay! I'm alright!"

They both grimaced and smiled at each other a little, before Spike bounded off the porch. "I got patrol tonight, luv. Don't leave the light on," he called over his shoulder as he strode towards the nearest cemetery, looking for a fight.

An hour and half later, Buffy seriously wished she had gone with him, her head buzzing with names and details that she knew there was no way she could remember. _And when he slipped naked between her sheets only an hour after that, she was fast asleep, and she woke with his leg pinning her down securely, his nose nestled into her neck._


	7. Chapter 7

Woohyun stumbled through the bedroom door and closed it softly, immediately falling onto the king-sized bed face-first into a pillow and groaned. Sungyeol barely looked up from the screen of his laptop that was resting on his chest as he reached out with one hand and tugged on Woohyun's arm a bit… Woohyun slapped him away and rolled up to lie parallel to him, "It's all your fault."

Sungyeol pulled one earbud away and muttered, "What is my fault now?"

Woohyun kicked him, "I just got a rousing lecture from Sunggyu about you."

Dongwoo, sitting on the floor against the edge of the bed turned to peer over the mattress at them, "About Dawn-ssi?"

Woohyun nodded, burying his head deeper into the pillow so that his voice came out muffled, "And a new chores schedule. Then Dawn. Then the laundry. Then Dawn. Then my work schedule. Then Dawn. Then Sungyeol's attitude…"

Woohyun's nightly skin treatment regimen went on much longer than usual, with Sunggyu sitting on the edge of the bathtub, practically beside himself with worry and agitation and nerves. It also _started_ quite a bit later than it ought, as it took him nearly five minutes to tear Sunggyu off the porch after Dawn had left the house. After which, Sunggyu followed him around the house as he cleaned up from dinner, picked up the living room a bit, tried to organize the mess of shoes in front of the door, folded a load of laundry and delivered the basket to Hoya and Sungjong's room. All of this, of course, without Sunggyu noticing the state of the kitchen, or helping, just following Woohyun around the apartment like a little lost puppy who has completely lost control of his limbs.

And as much as Sunggyu tried to keep the conversation on the house, on the younger boys, on the food budget, on their hectic schedules now that the semester was well under way… he kept circling back to the girl with the very long hair and long limbs who had spent the afternoon seducing every boy in the house from her seat on the couch. Every boy in the house except him. Sunggyu. He who had spent the afternoon a bundle of nerves, trying far too hard to make jokes, trying far too hard to present himself as a very good hyung that put his hodgepodge family first. (He was currently the butt of many of Hoya's jokes, whispered to Sungjong in the safety of their room.) This girl who so clearly had the worst oppa he had ever heard of. Who was so loud and so abrasive, who took to the other boys so easily, who was going to break Myungsoo's heart (Woohyun had the decency not to laugh at this painfully obvious example of Sunggyu losing his mind), who was indelicate and flirty and too outspoken… for over an hour he struggled _not_ to talk about her and failed.

Sungyeol shook his head in agitation, "Dawnie-noona is so nice. I don't understand why he doesn't like her."

Woohyun lifted his head and the two older boys exchanged a very secret smile.

"And anyway," Sungyeol continued as he shut his laptop down, setting it on the ground and turning to play with Woohyun's hair, "What difference is it to hyung if I make an actual friend here? Is it a crime to be friends with a girl? He spends plenty of time with Fei-noona."

Dongwoo reached out and flicked Woohyun's foot, "I think he noticed the way she looked at _you_."

The cacophony of laughter and teasing that erupted then was far too garbled for even this faithful narrator to record accurately. Sungyeol whooped with laughter, which only ended when Woohyun planted a firm kiss on his mouth. Dongwoo collapsed into a fit of giggles on the floor and only emerged when the other two started throwing pillows at him.

Breathless, Sungyeol sunk back on the bed, "Poor Dawnie-noona. I _like_ her and all, but…"

Woohyun snorted and nestled Sungyeol's shoulder with the top of his head affectionately, "Aish! Poor _Sunggyu_! That little hamster doesn't stand a chance."

Dongwoo's voice came floating up from the floor, "Of course he does! He just doesn't _think_ that he stands a chance now. Who would want a Sunggyu after meeting the mighty Woohyun?"

"Do you think it would be a good match?" Sungyeol asked thoughtfully.

Dongwoo threw a pillow up into the air and then caught it, "Obviously."

Woohyun sobered and scooted closer to Sungyeol, twisting their fingers together and reaching out with his feet to tangle their legs together. The taller boy eased one arm around the other and smiled, "Can we tease him about this? Please?"

Woohyun shook his head, "Anything else and I would be… but… " He thought quickly of Sunggyu's last brush with a female, back home in Korea. A delightful girl Woohyun had thought so perfect for his hyung. She was very much like Dawn in many ways. And his heart had been decidedly broken when she ended things. Woohyun was the only one who knew this, who knew what a fragile state their prickly hyung's heart was actually in. He held his tongue, but he knew that he'd have to find a way to make sure the others didn't tease Sunggyu too much about his (very obvious) feelings for Dawn.

Not that they all weren't ecstatic over the prospect of Sunggyu finally finding someone (except maybe Myungsoo, who was more than likely completely and utterly oblivious), but none of them had any tact at all. Or subtlety. And all were delighted at any and all opportunity to tease Sunggyu.

Protecting him from the others was an uphill battle for Woohyun.

Dongwoo threw the pillows back on the bed, turned off the light, and then squeezed himself between the two already so fully intertwined. They made space for him as always. Sungyeol turning Dongwoo so that the small of his back was pressed firmly into the taller boy's stomach, Woohyun scooting down slightly to curl into Dongwoo's chest, Sungyeol's long arm reaching out to hold Woohyun's. Some nights Sungyeol escaped to the bunk-bed in Myungsoo's room, he sometimes needed to stretch and get away, to sink between cool sheets alone. The other two never begrudged him his space. Some nights Dongwoo ducked into Sunggyu's room, or with Hoya and Sunjong, or fell asleep on the couch with Myungsoo draped all around him. And some nights Woohyun tucked in with Sunggyu, the two whispering into the night their concerns and worries that they couldn't tell the others. But when it was all three of them together, it was always like this, with Sunyeol's limbs everywhere, and Dongwoo – so much smaller – tucked between them, with Woohyun nestled into Dongwoo's chest. (Of course, by morning Yeollie usually had kicked away the blankets and was stretched out as far as his limbs could reach, the other two pushed into the smallest sliver of space on one edge of the bed – Dongwoo once woke up curled at the foot of the bed – Woohyun all tangled up in the blankets and Dongwoo.)

As they found their spaces and their breath became a steady rhythm, Sungyeol started laughing quietly to himself. Dongwoo elbowed him, "You aren't going to tell her, are you." It wasn't really a question. They all knew how much of a trickster Sungyeol was.

Sungyeol laughed harder, "I can't. This is going to be far too much fun."

Woohyun started laughing a little as well.

Dongwoo elbowed them both, "You are _terrible_."

"You won't tell her, will you hyung?" Sungyeol wheedled into Dongwoo's ear.

The older boy giggled and squirmed as the two began tickling him softly.

"Alright I won't!"

After they had settled a bit, he added: "But I will try to help Sunggyu-hyung."

"He's going to need it," Woohyun murmured.

If, in the morning, Sunggyu noticed that the other boys in the house all seemed to be in on a large joke, he made no note of it. He did, however, demand Woohyun make an extra lunch that day, hovering in the kitchen, getting underfoot as Woohyun and Hoya worked to get the younger boys off to school. When Sungjong was handed four bento boxes on the way out the door instead of the customary three, he almost threw a royal tantrum. Wasn't it enough that Sungyeol and Myungsoo were utterly incapable of looking after their own lunches, now he was having to carry an _extra_ lunch as well?

But the look on Woohyun's face as he handed him the bag stopped Sungjong's complaint in its tracks. An added nod from Hoya towards Sunggyu lurking in the hallway, large bags under his eyes, and Sungjong swallowed even the little sigh lying in wait. He smiled and bowed a little to Sunggyu in the hallway and exclaimed what a good idea this all was!

Of course, he muttered and fumed all the way to school and through most of his first class.

(Perhaps there was a reason for him to forget about his anger during second period, a reason that may prove to be very beautiful and very dangerous, but that story will have to wait for another time.)

Later, he would say it was all worth it, taking that extra lunch to school.

Not because of the surprised look on Dawn's face when he presented it to her.

But the look of fury on Woohyun's when he got to smugly say: "Well it's just that Fei-noona sent a lunch for her with Suji, also. So she _tried_ to eat both, but it was an awful lot of food."

(And possibly if one Meng Jia also had as late of a night as Woohyun because one Wang Fei followed _her_ around the house, talking about this poor little girl who obviously had the worst oppa and then spent the whole day next door and no one had even thought to invite her over to dinner and lord knows what Woohyun even feeds them! … well... we will leave that conversation private.)


	8. Chapter 8

It was Saturday at two o'clock in the afternoon and Dawn was alone in the Magic Box - her calculus book open on her right, an ancient Sumerian text open on her left, and a nearly empty donut box in the center of the table. Dangerously close to a stack of papers covered in Dawn's wandering scrawl, was a sweaty plastic cup with a large puddle underneath – once it must have held coffee-flavored deliciousness, but now was just old whip cream, melted ice, and the lingering remnant of caramel syrup.

Dawn eyed the cup warily, picked it up, swirled it around in an attempt to re-blend the now separated ingredients, and then shrugged to herself as she slurped as much liquid as she could through the straw, shivering a little. She debated the prospect of walking over to the trash and disposing of said cup. But it really wasn't worth it, instead setting it carefully on the little round puddle of water once more.

From the storage room, Anya let out a short burst of obscenities. She was looking for a special item someone had placed on layaway, leaving Dawn in charge of the shop during her absence. That had been over an hour ago. About twenty minutes before that, Spike and Buffy had breezed through on their way to the training room, Spike handing off Dawn's favorite: a triple shot iced mocha with extra caramel. She could hear them periodically crashing around, Buffy giggling, Spike swearing.

For the most part, though, she sat in silence. No one had come into the shop all afternoon. Not that Dawn wished for a full shop – but she was bored. Sungyeol and Myungsoo both had shifts at a local pharmacy, Sungyeol as a cashier and Myungsoo in the photo developing department. Dongwoo was at rehearsal for a dance recital they had invited her to later that night. Sungjong had agreed to chaperone Suji and a group of her friends at the movie theatre that afternoon, no doubt dragging Hoya along. (No one had Sungjong wrapped around their finger like little Suji… and no one but Sungjong could have convinced Hoya to spend the day with a group of squealing teenage girls.) And Woohyun… Dawn blushed. All these new friends and no one was available on a Saturday afternoon – so there she was, stuck in the Magic Box.

Not that she would have been able to be anywhere else, anyway. Technically she worked the shop with Anya on the weekends, scraping together enough of a salary to keep herself in shoes and nail polish.

Not that she would have invited any of the boys to the shop, anyway. She was working hard to make sure they were kept safe from the underbelly of Sunnydale, from the reason why she sometimes had bags under her eyes from lack of sleep, why that Wednesday she had fallen asleep during lunch hour, with her head in Myungsoo's lap as he stroked her hair. Inviting them to the Magic Box was a recipe for disaster.

Dawn turned her head toward the door that lead to the training room and smiled when she heard Buffy collapse into loud giggles, Spike's shouts coming through the wall incoherently. It probably was for the best if the guys didn't show up out of the blue without giving Buffy any warning again… The previous weekend Sungyeol and Myungsoo had shown up with food and a bunch of movies and moved into the Summers living room for several hours. Buffy had been at work and on patrol, so Dawn hadn't bothered her. Of course, when Buffy came home to Dawn asleep on the couch in a tangle of Sungyeol and Dongwoo's limbs (the older boy having stopped by after work), Myungsoo playing with Miss Kitty Fantastico in the corner – she regretted not sending a warning txt, at least.

Spike had been surprisingly calm about the whole thing.

She looked around the empty store, for a moment feeling a little lost, as though she wasn't sure how she got there – as though she hadn't been sitting in that spot for the last few hours. The thought occurred to her that it was impossible to be there – the store intact like new. There was a memory – tickling the back of her consciousness – that it wasn't possible for her to be sitting there at all. But as soon as she directed her attention to it, it was gone and she had forgotten. It left a strange yearning in her, a soft taste in her mouth of spice This had been happening more and more frequently to her, but Dawn brushed it off as just feeling bored and restless… with a bizarre craving for kimchi.

She pulled a stack of post-it's to her and wrote: "Anchovies and kimchi pizza?!"

Willow breezed through, the bell on the door jingling happily, replacing Dawn's empty coffee cup with a smoothie and a napkin on her way to the counter. If anything, the people in Dawn's life kept her in high supply of food. Most of it not very good… but she didn't complain. (Not when she now had daily lunches supplied by Woohyun and Fei-unni… who seemed to be in some sort of food-war over her, but she wasn't complaining.)

Willow kept up a stream of chatter about her classes that semester, her homework, Kennedy's trip to Brazil, and Giles' last email about a weird disturbance of energy near Sunnydale until customers finally started trickling in … while checking Dawn's calculus and grimacing at the Sumerian text. The shop never got really busy that day, just a slow and steady stream for the next hour or so. With Willow around and Anya finally emerging from storage, Dawn was left to her books (and her phone) for the most part.

Around five o'clock – about an hour before Dawn needed to make her way back home to get dressed for Dongwoo's recital that night and just after Willow had ducked into the back to talk to Buffy about that night's patrol – the little bell rang and she heard the distinctive murmur of two voices speaking in Korean. One light, airy female voice. The other a slow male voice with a slight (and not at all endearing) lisp.

"Fei-unni!?" Dawn exclaimed, standing up quickly and thrusting the Sumerian text (a catalogue of Far Eastern demons and hell-gods from the 15 th century) into a shelf behind her.

"Dawn-ssi!" Fei exclaimed as she trotted down the short stairs in her customary heels and skinny jeans, grasping Dawn into a bright hug.

Dawn stood happily as Fei played with Dawn's hair, asking about her day and school and her studies – though the older girl had just seen her the day before and had asked and received the same questions and answers. Fei narrowed her eyes at the opened calculus book on the table and pushed Dawn into the chair, "Now I want you to finish your homework so that you can come to dinner tonight at our house after Dongwoo's recital tonight, yes?"

Anya sidled up, "I can help you find anything you want." She was decidedly less perky today after wrestling with mysterious articles down in the storage room all day.

Fei took Anya's arm comfortably and steered her towards the front of the shop, talking quietly. Sunggyu hovered at the bottom of the stairs uncomfortably.

Even though she didn't want to, Dawn knew it rude not to say hello to him, so she did – with a very stilted voice, her neck straight to the point of awkward, "Hello Sunggyu-ssi."

Sunggyu bowed to her respectfully, hiding his disappointed expression in doing so. In the last month, she had taken to calling all of the older boys in the house "oppa" with ease and a little bit of teasing from Jia and Min. All except him. "Annyong Dawn-ssi," he said shyly.

Fei and Anya seemed occupied in some haggling and Dawn knew they'd be a while, so she stiffly pointed to the box of donuts, "You can… You can have one if you want."

Sunggyu eyed her and the box warily, as if she was offering poison and then sunk into the chair near her, taking out a bear claw with delicate fingers. They sat in silence as Fei and Anya conducted business. Dawn thought briefly that it was probably one of those silences someone else would consider a comfortable silence. Something she so rarely was able to accomplish around other people. She so often felt so anxious and worn out around other people, not as though they expected something from her (not always), but that the space between her body and all others needed to be filled with energy, with words, with something. But of course – she wouldn't allow the thought to take root, pushed it aside, and instead related the moment later to someone as "awkward" and "uncomfortable" and Sunggyu as "rude and uncommunicative" …

Afterwards, Fei bowed to Anya and said respectively, "In her name."

Anya bowed back and repeated the phrase.

And then went straight to the laptop behind the counter with an odd expression on her face.

"Sunggyu-ssi? Will you take this out to the car for me?" She handed him her shopping bag, "I want to talk to Dawn for a minute."

As soon as the bell jingled at Sunggyu's back, Fei turned to Dawn – her eyes pleading, "Dawn-ssi! Take him off my hands, please?"

"What?!" To say Dawn was shocked would be an understatement.

"Sunggyu-oppa. I need you to keep him here with you for a while."

Dawn didn't even deign Fei with another answer, just crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows. Surely she was joking.

"Ya! I'm not joking! He's driving me nuts! I need to get some shopping done and I need space to do it. Please just… ask for help on your homework or something?"

Dawn stared at the older girl hard, "You owe me."

Fei planted a sloppy kiss on Dawn's cheek, leaving a smear of lipgloss, "You're the best!"

Sunggyu came back in the shop seconds later. Fei gave Dawn a meaningful look. She started blushing, she knew the only way to convince him that she wanted him to stay, and she really didn't want to do it. The older girl turned to Sunggyu, "I'm worried about leaving Dawn all alone here – she's really struggling with her homework. Do you think? Sunggyu-ssi! You are so very good at math."

Sunggyu blinked at her. This was not necessarily true. They both knew it. He typically asked Myungsoo for help with any math homework he brought home. And Woohyun had completely taken over the household accounts out of frustration. He opened his mouth to protest—

(Dawn sneaked a glance at Anya – glad that the ex-demon wasn't paying attention. It would be just like her to point out Willow's presence in the back room.)

"Please?" Dawn wished she could shoot daggers into Fei with her eyes. She took a deep breath, "Please Sunggyu-oppa? I could really use the help."

Fei winked at Sunggyu as she breezed out of the store, leaving him standing with his mouth hanging slightly open, his heart somewhere below his knees.


	9. Chapter 9

Kim Sunggyu prayed to Her Name that he wasn't blushing. He wished and hoped and wished that he wasn't blushing. He held his breath – involuntarily, like a drowning man cherishes the air trapped in his lungs until the final moment when the disaster finally presents itself and there was no turning back. Maybe he wasn't actually blushing, maybe the woman in front of him didn't hear the sound of his heart plummeting to the floor, maybe he wasn't uncomfortably standing there as she stared with her brilliant wide eyes boring into him from across the room, their sparkling blue impossible and penetrating.

He looked down at his hands and began playing with the watch on his wrist carelessly, twisting it around and around reflexively, a nervous twitch that Woohyun had pointed out to him many times _(once, before the others, when it was just the two of them in a tiny apartment in Seol, in the days before Woohyun brought Dongwoo home with him like a lost puppy found at the park, and Sunggyu didn't know if his heart would ever mend, and there was Woohyun teasing him over a pot of ramen and after they ended up in a tangle of limbs and lips and gasps, Woohyun would tell him it was the way he unconsciously twisted his hand around his wrist when he stretched his neck)_ and always resulted now in Woohyun raising his eyebrows and smiling over at him, because of a moment they had shared once, long ago. He did it now, without thinking _(very much)_, twisting his neck to one side as he walked towards Dawn and sat, suddenly relaxed, in the chair he had vacated only moments before.

Dawn cleared her throat as she hesitantly passed a sheet covered in her clear writing over to him, "Sunbae-ssi? If you can just check these for me…? I'm almost done and then…"

Sunggyu didn't look up, just drew the sheet towards him and stared down at it blankly. Her words hung in the air between them, crackling and tense.

_Oppa_.

_Sunbae._

It was up to him to make it alright, to cleanse the air, to let her take back the last few minutes. In his lap, one hand flexed out, white and still. He laughed, it was short, bitter, he felt her tense, "Fei-noona was tired of me, wasn't she?"

Dawn chewed her lip nervously _(and Sunggyu wanted nothing more than for his teeth to trace a pattern on her lower lip, her knees gripping his hips, the back of the chair digging into his shoulder-blades as she pressed him down, her gasp swallowed by his mouth when he bit just a little too hard, the way he knew she liked it, her fingers pulling on his neck, his hair)_ and he smiled encouragingly, "Everyone knows I'm terrible with numbers."

_He thought back to that morning in the kitchen, Woohyun wheedling him softly to take his place with Fei that day – he _had_ to help Dongwoo rehearse. And Hoya couldn't go, he said with his wolfish smile, because he already promised Sungjong and Suji to go with them, and the way he winked when Jia flipped her hair as she dragged him out the door on the heels of the younger girl… who was Sunggyu to argue? Especially with Fei standing there, her arms crossed over her chest, her foot tapping, waiting for him to accompany her. And he wondered how long they all had been plotting this?_

She smiled back at him. And his heart did NOT, definitely did NOT stop beating for that split second.

And then he really, really wasn't sure what to do next.

Thankfully, the door leading to the back room opened and two (slightly sweaty) figures appeared. One was a petite woman with an open, honest face and short blonde hair pulled back into a small ponytail, exuding strength and energy. The other was a slightly taller man with platinum blonde hair slicked back, a long leather trenchcoat hung from his small but muscular frame, who seemed a little… Sunggyu couldn't put his finger on it, but the man made the hair on his neck stand on end a little.

"And who is this?" the girl smiled brightly at him as the man put an arm around her shoulder and looked Sunggyu up and down.

"Buffy! Uh… this is … um…"

Sunggyu stood and bowed deeply, respectively. Buffy. He recognized the name. Dawn's older sister. The only family she seemed to have… other than the mysterious "kind of brother" that sent her to school with poor excuses for lunch that kept Sunggyu up nights and Woohyun and Fei in their kitchens, trying to out-cook each other. As he bowed, he saw the remains of smoothie on the table in front of Dawn, the shadows under her eyes, the pile of books… and he was suddenly filled with the knowledge that she hadn't had much else to eat that day… that she always seemed on the verge of exhaustion…

If it was possible to feel one's blood boiling, Sunggyu felt he was pretty damn close to accomplishing it. He stood up and smiled, "I am Sunggyu. It is so nice to meet Dawn-ssi's sister."

Buffy blinked at him, taken aback by his formality, "Nice to meet you, too. Sunggyu?" He nodded. She smiled just a little more broadly, pleased with herself over something he wasn't quite sure of. "This is my boyfriend, Spike," she said, gesturing to the man beside her, who nodded curtly.

Dawn cut in, "Spike's like my…"

"Like a brother?"

Dawn flushed. But Sunggyu didn't see. He didn't see much at all, other than flashes of red.

And yes, for a brief moment, he was filled with the absolute knowledge that if he challenged the man in front of him, he wouldn't live much longer. _(A small voice told him that if he ever got a whiff of Sunggyu's thoughts regarding Dawn's lower lip, no one would ever find his body… but he pushed the thought aside desperately.)_

"So it's _you_." His voice was low and sounded nothing like his own. His hands were clenched in fists at his side.

The three of them stared at him blankly and he almost laughed.

Spike raised his eyebrows.

"Sunggyu-ssi? What—?"

He ignored the question in Dawn's voice. "_You _are supposed to be taking care of her! She's always tired! You can't even pack a proper lunch! What kind of brother are you?!" Sunggyu thought he would explode. The words had come out stilted, awkward. He had tried so hard to plan what he would say, had thought it over and over.

He felt like a petulant child shouting at giants.

And they were all staring at him like he had suddenly turned green.

"I come bearing snacks, Dawnie!" a voice from behind him floated through. A male's voice. The smell of heavily deep fried food filled the shop.

Sunggyu turned and saw a man with an eyepatch, a large grin, and dark hair. In his hand was a bag of fast food, the grease seeping through the bag and making it opaque.

"Harris," Spike's voice was calm, but with the slightest undercurrent of laughter. "What the bloody hell is that?"

The man looked down at the bag and shrugged, "Lunch?"

Buffy fought back a smile, her voice feigned anger, "Xander! What have you been putting in Dawn's lunches?"

Sunggyu regarded the newcomer with narrowed eyes. So _this_ was the person responsible for those reprehensible lunches! He glanced over at Spike and apologized with a curt nod. The older man grimaced at him in acknowledgement.

"Really guys, this is so ridiculous! It's just _lunch_."

"What about lunch?" the woman behind the counter with the curly hair suddenly spoke up.

"The boy here has been sending the little bit to school with garbage," Spike said. Sunggyu noted a touch of an accent in his voice for the first time, now that the blood had stopped pumping in his ears.

"Hey! You said you'd stop calling me that!" the other man protested, pointing at Spike. The blonde just stared back, unmoved.

"Maybe if you stopped acting like a child!" The woman's voice was shrill with exasperation. Xander looked bashful and ducked his head. The curly-haired woman walked over and smacked him in the arm, "You've been eating the lunches I made for Dawn, haven't you?"

"Guys!" Dawn stood up and shouted out.

Everyone turned to look at her. Sunggyu noticed that Buffy had collapsed onto the stairs leading up to a blocked off bookcase and was shaking with laughter, Spike smiling broadly down at her.

"This is ridiculous. You're all acting like he's been poisoning me or something! I'm probably old enough to make my own lunch." Sunggyu bristled and opened his mouth to protest, but she cut him off. "Woohyun and Fei have been feeding me for long enough, I'll just take care of it." She shrugged and sat down, as if that ended it.

_(Behind him, Sunggyu could hear another person enter the room and try to intervene in the argument Xander and the clerk were still having.)_

He smiled a little ruefully at Dawn, "You know that neither one of them will stop now, don't you?"

"I can take care of myself."

She was so very adorably stubborn, Sunggyu thought.

"That's not the point," Buffy gasped. "Xander volunteered to do it!"

"Made a long speech about it and all," Spike smiled.

_There was something… violent and sensual about that smile, Sunggyu thought uncomfortably. About the way the man ran his tongue over his teeth as he smirked. About the way his eyes gleamed._

Buffy nodded and grabbed Spike's hand with one of her own, throwing the other into the air and saying dramatically, "Dawn's like a sister to me! It'll be practice for my own children! I'm the patriarch now!"

"Hey! I am the patriarch now! We voted, remember?" Xander's voice broke through, causing only everyone to start giggling anew. "Well, I am."

"Stuff it, Harris," Spike said a little more menacingly.

"Back off, Spike. I'll take care of this," the curly-haired woman said. "No sex for a week, mister!"

Amidst protest, she lead Xander out of the store, Sunggyu heard the bell chime as they stumbled through the door. Another woman, with bright red hair cut just a little shorter that Buffy's sat down in an empty seat. "No sex for a week?" she groaned. "I hope Anya doesn't try to stick to that. Remember last time? I never heard the end of it."

Sunggyu cleared his throat, "He… talked to you about it?"

Typically this kind of conversation would make him all tongue-tied, but with Buffy wrapping her fingers around Spike's and Dawn's amused facial expression, he felt … at ease. And almost as though it was a question they were all expecting him to ask.

The woman laughed a little, "Oh no. Well, yes. But it was mostly _her_ complaining about her own sex strike. She gave up after three days last time." She looked over at Spike, "Bets?"

"Ten on two days."

Buffy shook her head, "She'll last longer this time. It's a matter of pride now. I say at least four days."

Dawn closed her book and started packing things into her bag, "Twenty says they're at it right now."

Spike chuckled and looked over at Dawn appreciatively; an expression like pride passing over his face.

"Willow?" Buffy looked inquiringly at the red-haired woman.

"Hmm…" she stood up and put her purse over one shoulder. "I think Dawn's close. Twenty on tonight after he grovels for a bit." She looked conspiratorially at Sunggyu, "She likes it when he grovels." Sunggyu shifted and hoped that he wasn't blushing… again… _What is this day?_

"Well this has been stimulating, but I need to get back to the house and change for the recital," Dawn said.

"I can walk you," Sunggyu volunteered.

Dawn nodded pragmatically, "I'm not really sure where I'm going once I get to Sunnydale's campus – so that might be for the best."

They moved toward the door, Willow sending her well-wishes and disappeared into the back of the shop.

Sunggyu stood holding the door open, when Spike approached Dawn, Buffy next to him, and touched her shoulder, "Little bit? No one thinks you can't take care of yourself, alright?"

Buffy reached for her sister's hand, "I didn't want… We shouldn't both—" Her voice caught.

And Sunggyu had the sensation that they were censoring themselves because he was there. It was disconcerting.

"It's just lunch," Dawn's voice shook a little.

_Sunggyu wished they weren't there. That is was permissible for him to reach out and hold her. To stroke her hair until her breathing regained a natural rhythm again. To encourage her body to sink a little against his. To let him in, to mingle her breath with his. But he just stood silently, waiting with the door handle in his hands, feeling as though she was being pulled further and further from him with each passing moment._

"You should be allowed to be a kid…" Buffy trailed off, Sunggyu saw her squeeze Dawn's hand.

Sunggyu cleared his throat, "I keep trying to tell you, Fei-noona and Woohyun won't stop now that they've started anyway."

The trio looked over at him and Dawn smiled, turning back to Buffy, hugging her softly, "He's right. It's all out of our hands now that they're involved."

Buffy grimaced as Dawn walked out the door and muttered, "I should have them over for dinner or something."

Sunggyu and Spike stood looking at each other for a moment, the two women walking off in opposite directions, wrapped in their own thoughts. Sunggyu bowed to the older man. Spike took a step forward and looked out the door at Dawn's retreating back.

"You told them to."

It wasn't a question.

Sunggyu rose to the man's gaze. "Just Woohyun," he admitted. "Fei-noona did it all on her own. But now…"

Spike nodded.

As Sunggyu jogged to catch up to Dawn, he felt as though he had just passed a test he wasn't ready to understand. Inside the Magic Box, Spike smiled to himself for a moment before following Buffy back into the training room.


	10. Chapter 10

Dawn felt Sunggyu fall in step beside her and scrambled desperately for something to say. In less than a half hour she had tricked him, he had called her out, and then her entire family (such as it was) had gone completely overboard... what did you say to someone after all that?

How do you explain that intricate, semi-incestuous family tree?

How sometimes Spike will smirk at Anya over the dinner table when Xander is talking and the ex-demon, who never shies away from telling them all about her past and present exploits, will actually _blush_. _(In the back of her mind there tickled a thought, something about Anya she was sure, but what?) _ How sometimes Buffy will get a weird look on her face still, even after all this time, when Xander and Willow reference an inside joke that she wasn't there for the first time. How occasionally Willow will get a wistful look in her eye and then disappear for hours at a time, coming back and only saying, "Cordy says hi." And the words will cause Xander's face to go soft and he'll touch Willow's arm silently. How some nights, Spike will get restless and Dawn or Buffy will find him in his crypt, piss-drunk - sometimes sobbing, sometimes angry, mostly just drunk - little episodes that remind the three of them the price of his soul.

She cleared her throat, "My family is..."

"Nice." His voice was clear and kind. He didn't stutter over the word and when she glanced over at him in surprise, he was looking straight at her. "Your family is nice. They love you."

Dawn giggled and bit her lower lip _(and then thought how ridiculous that sounded in her head - like she was the heroine in a ridiculous romance novel who was always blushing and giggling and any minute now she'd swoon and she had never bit her lip so much in her life... but every time she did, Sunggyu's eyes darkened just slightly, almost imperceptively, and an ache formed in the pit of her stomach that she tried desperately to ignore, biting down harder on her lip, which really only seemed to make matters worse)_, "They do. Love me, I mean. Even though..."

Trying to explain the interpersonal relationships between the Scoobies was hard enough. Why did she suddenly feel like Sunggyu would completely understand if she blurted out, _There's this whole thing where I'm a Key_? Why Sunggyu? With his prickly, conservative personality; his almost showy deference to formality and respect; the way his eyes narrowed with disapproval every time Dawn showed one of the other boys any sort of physical affection... he was in every way the very last person Dawn supposed she'd be willing to share secrets like this with.

On the other hand...

_No._

She stopped the thought.

There was no other hand. Sunggyu was just Sunggyu. Cold and distant and prickly.

And anyway, he didn't like her. So it wasn't worth thinking about.

"Even though...?" He chewed on her words for a moment, "You think they'd love you more, if you all had the same parents?"

"No!" it was an explosion of sound, more than a single word. She may have frightened him, she didn't care. The thought frightened _her_.

The idea had occurred to her, of course. In passing. In those moments when she was feeling particularly selfish or insecure or upset. Or when she tried to imagine what her previous existence had been... was it boring, being a ball of energy?

What if it had been someone else? What if they had split the Key up into bits, so that the fate of the world wasn't on the shoulders of one teenage girl?

And then she thought of Buffy. The Chosen One.

Okay. So they both had been Chosen.

Or made. By a bunch of creepy dudes in robes, even.

Or whatever.

And sometimes she wondered if they'd all love her more if they didn't know.

If Glory had never come and Buffy had never died and she was the Key, but there was no reason for anyone to know. Would Xander still bring over anchovies pizza and chocolate ice cream and be utterly patient with her when she cried? Would Anya still fondly call her "little girl"? Would Willow play chess with her and teach her things behind Buffy's back? Would Buffy get that softness in her face in those rare moments when they were allowed to slow down, look each other in the eye, and just talk? Would Giles call her from England and guide her through her translations, trying to hide the deep pride that swelled in his voice as she grew more and more proficient at research? Would Spike…

There were limits to love, Dawn knew that. Objectively, anyway. Like a fairy tale she had once read. There were no limits to the love her family had for each other. For her. Or at least, they hadn't found them yet, not yet.

Spike and Tara, tortured.

Buffy, dead.

For the sake of her.

_And didn't it just weigh heavy, some days?_

She also knew that being loved as fiercely as her family loved her, didn't mean everything was always cozy nights and happy days. It didn't mean you weren't still forgotten sometimes. It didn't mean that there wasn't still some loneliness.

Their family was a family of warriors and knights and heroes – theirs was an existence of battles and scars and sleepless nights – with an all-consuming hunger for normalcy.

You could get lost there.

She looked up at the boy walking beside her, "No." She said it more softly this time.

Maybe it wasn't as true this time.

Maybe they all would love her … if not more, then she knew for sure very differently if she had truly been Joyce's daughter – born from the womb and not from magic.

Would it be a better love?

Was there such a thing?

Would it be a different love?

Undoubtedly.

"I live with six other guys, Dawn-ssi." He stopped walking and Dawn turned to face him. His gaze never left her face for a moment. "I live in a four bedroom apartment in a foreign country with six other guys I'm technically not related to. Next door to four girls I only met once we came to Sunnydale." He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "They are my family. Even when they drive me crazy," Dawn smiled and he winked. "I couldn't love them more … No. Not _if we_ or _if they_ … there's no reality in which I would care about them more just because something was different."

He stopped for a moment, thinking of how to explain this girl who was all fire and length and energy – who made him feel so inept and clumsy.

"That's what family is."

It was the wrong thing to say.

He used the wrong words.

He knew it the moment the words came spilling out. When he saw her eyes lose their soft curiosity and grow hard and bright.

Dawn bristled, "I don't need you to tell me what family is, Kim Sunggyu."

Her voice was hard and brittle, she spun on her heel and started to walk away. She was seething inside. What did this pompous boy possibly think he could tell her about family that she didn't already know?

Sunggyu would never know what possessed him to reach out and grab her by the elbow, twirling her back toward him, her hair swirling behind her like a cloak, dragging her close to him – so close, so much closer than they had ever been _(even counting that time earlier in the week when Dongwoo had pushed her down on the couch next to Sunggyu while they watched a movie with the rest, she had been so close her hair had tickled his arm and he had sat still – so still, hardly daring to breath, afraid that she would pull away)_, both of his hands gripped her elbows, one of her knees knocked into his leg, and under any other circumstance he may have completely lost track of what he was trying to say, with the creamy softness of her skin so warm under his palms.

"I wasn't… I wouldn't…" He sighed exasperatingly and tried to find a semblance of understanding in her flashing eyes. "I wasn't trying to tell you—"

"I'm not good at explaining… I'm not good with words like Woohyun and Sungyeol… I was just trying to explain… How—how _I_ feel."

He dropped his hands from their grip on her elbows, but she didn't move.

"I know… it seems like I'm too hard on them – on the others… but I –" he was stuttering, stammering around the words, the uncomfortable words that fell so harsh on his own words. "I can't… I can only protect them for so long and then…?"

His eyes were pleading and Dawn was slightly unsettled, by his earnestness, by his obvious discomfort, by his desperate need for her to understand, _by the warmth of his closeness_.

And she did understand. She did. He saw it – saw her eyes soften and truly look back at him for the first time.

For a long moment they just looked at each other, sinking into the spaces between each other they usually guarded so carefully; letting down their respective armor just a tiny bit so that the other could see. It surprised them both – to sense for the first time that protective shell the other kept so close. Dawn softened, as if she never expected that Sunggyu would feel a need to keep a part of himself separate and safe. Sunggyu wondered at this bright, loud girl with a quick smile and steely resolve, found himself in awe learning that for all she set others at ease, she too had an invisible barrier keeping people from seeing her fully.

They only caught a glimpse of the shields they each used – like a shadow one sees out of the corner of one's eye on a dark night. Something that is there for anyone to see, but takes a different shape and shade when called attention to – when it is no longer allowed to blend into its surroundings.

And then Sunggyu saw a glint in Dawn's eye, right before she leaned closer and said teasingly, "You old grandpa! Bad at numbers, bad at words!? What do we keep you around for, anyway?"

They walked the rest of the way to the Summers' home comfortably, Dawn's arm slung carelessly through his, chattering softly about nothing really.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: In which Dawn Summers has an entourage, Sunggyu drinks some lemonade, Spike and Woohyun finally meet, and there is a cliff hanger

A/N - I told Mrs. Jang this was coming: EPIC (/ridiculous) Woohyun/Spike bonding. Subtle Sunggyu/Buffy bonding. Foreshadowing abounds. WooYeol adorableness. Domestic fluff, basically. Unabashed worship of Trachtenburg/Yeollie's LEGS.

Kim Sunggyu sat stiffly at the kitchen counter of the Summers home.

He had much preferred the couch, where he had staunchly set himself despite Dawn's insistence that he could come up to her room, instead of waiting in the living room by himself. When she finally let it go and trounced up the stairs hurling a final word over her shoulder, half insult, half teasing; Sunggyu was so overwhelmed with the amount of playful mocking he had just undergone, that he was relieved to sink back into the couch and have a moment to himself. Between living with all of those other boys, living next door to Fei and her girls (who were regulars in Woohyun's kitchen), even having his "own room" was never enough space - he never had enough time just to himself.

Not that he ever would begrudge the others, or wish he was alone, but sometimes... sometimes sitting on the couch in an empty space with just his thoughts was all the luxury he needed to regroup, to mentally prepare himself for being around them all again – all so full of reckless energy. And Dawn Summers seemed to be full of as much energy as all the boys together.

_Though Sunggyu noticed beneath her bright smile a slight drag, under her sparkling eyes those bags that never seemed to go away, behind each joke the slight echo of a yawn, and he wished she would stop trying to fill the space between them with her words and laughter, trying to keep up with her anxious energy, that was starting to grate on his already frayed nerves, that seemed to get more reckless and desperate during their walk… and it wasn't discomfort from her teasing him (he'd never admit to anyone how pleased he was to be the point of interest in her jokes) – it was an echo of the sensation that almost completely took him over in the Magic Box, the distant desire to hold her until she stopped moving, to bask in her stillness._

Sometimes Sunggyu just needed to sit still and hear his own thoughts.

Only – it never lasted long. Less than five minutes after Dawn had made her way up the stairs, somehow managing to clatter like a _herd_of teenage girls instead of just one the whole way up, the last few minutes punctuated with small crashes and loud exclamations, when Spike and Buffy came breezing into the living room from the back of the house. A particularly loud crash came from somewhere above their heads before the pair could say anything. Buffy raised her eyebrows when Dawn's muffled voice unmistakably floated down, "Oops!... _shit!_"

The petite blonde turned to her boyfriend and smiled, "It's your turn."

Spike considered, "I don't think so Slay—" he glanced over at Sunggyu on the couch and coughed. "Sweet_heart_." Sunggyu felt strangely that he had never heard the endearment used so sarcastically before – and again felt as though they were censoring themselves because of his presence. It was uncomfortable and confusing.

Buffy pouted for a moment, then turned brightly to Sunggyu, "_You_ could go up!"

Spike grinned. It reminded Sunggyu of Hoya's wolfish grin … only this was more sly, a little more lazy, but just as predatory. _If a cat could smile_.

Sunggyu shook his head and looked nervously at Spike – staring at him with those bright blue eyes and smiling so disconcertingly. "What if she's… _indecent_?"

Sunggyu would swear later that Spike's smile grew _hungry_ when he said that.

But really! What kind of man sends another man up to his sister's room when she is obviously in the midst of changing?! No wonder Dawn always seemed to be so indelicately _free_ all the time – with a sister like this one!

Dawn suddenly appeared at the top of the stairs, wrapped only in a very thin towel. Sunggyu forced his eyes down immediately. _But not before he saw the way the wet towel clung to her breasts and hips, the way her long legs gleamed with moisture – all, all the way up – the way the towel broke apart to allow her to walk, leaving one hip bone nearly exposed, the way her long wet hair still seemed to crackle with energy, even when weighed down with water, the way her pale skin seemed to emit its own glow against the backdrop of her dark hair, her bright eyes… but not before his heart started to pound with the intimate exposure of her length and length and—_

"Spike! Thank _gods_ you're here! Come help me. I can't decide what to wear!" her voice was almost lost under the sound of her feet colliding with the floor as she walked away. "What do you wear to a dance recital, anyway?!"

Buffy looked incredibly smug as Spike followed Dawn up the stairs with a short sigh. She whispered conspiratorially to Sunggyu, "He acts like he hates it, but honestly he loves it and has a much better eye than I do for what looks right on her." Then she beamed at him, as if they were both in on a delicious joke.

He smiled shyly back. Then looked back upstairs nervously, "Woohyun is going to be here soon with the car…"

"Don't worry about it. Now that Spike's up there…" they both winced at the sound of another crash and then two voices swearing in unison. "Well… things should speed up soon. She isn't usually so high maintenance."

They stood awkwardly for a moment or so, Buffy occasionally scratching her left elbow, Sunggyu desperately searching for something to say.

_I think I'm in love with your sister._

_Too soon._

_Too awkward._

_And anyway, completely irrelevant._

The doorbell rang. Buffy muttered to herself as she walked to the door, but Sunggyu couldn't quite catch what she was saying. He only hoped he wasn't supposed to hear it or respond.

It was only Woohyun. Sunggyu breathed a sigh of relief as he bowed deeply and respectfully to Buffy.

"Annyong!" Sungyeol's bright voice came from behind him, where Sunggyu couldn't see from his position in the living room. "Is Dawnie ready yet?"

They came inside, Woohyun smiling at Buffy – who seemed a little starstruck (_who wasn't stunned by Woohyun when they first met him?_The thought was 90% fierce pride and admiration… Sunggyu only allowed the smallest part of his heart to hold that small spark of bitterness and envy he allowed himself once in a while, all wrapped up in self-deprecation and self-doubt).

"Yeollie?!" Dawn's voice shouted down. "Come rescue me from this madman!"

Sungyeol went down on one knee at the foot of the stairs and held one arm out towards her voice, "Princess Dawn! I come to avenge thee!" And then he grabbed Woohyun's hand in his, their fingers twining together in that special way that always made Sunggyu's heart lurch slightly _– really sometimes the two of them were just obscene, the way they touched each other_ – and the two disappeared in the direction of Dawn's trilling laughter and Spike's unrestrained swearing.

His eyes lingered on the stairs. He refused to be jealous of those two immature idiots, now cocooned in Dawn's private, mysterious space. It wasn't like she hadn't urged him to come up…

_Idiot_.

When Sunggyu turned back to Buffy, her mouth had formed a perfectly round, unspoken "oh!" and all he could think to do was shrug at her helplessly. The last thing he needed was for her to ask questions. How on earth could he explain to her Dongwoo? He still didn't know how to explain the three of them to himself most days, except with an overwhelming sense of admiration and protectiveness. He hadn't been lying to Dawn earlier that day – those boys (not so much Hoya and Sungjong as much as the others, whom he knew when push came to shove would protect each other with a fierceness that would be mighty to behold, and would leave very little room for any of Sunggyu's clumsy and ineffectual efforts) seemed to be constantly in threat of the world chewing them up and spitting them back out, broken and irreparable – some days Sunggyu felt like the only, very small, barrier between them and their inevitably broken hearts.

She cocked her head at him, "Drink?"

And that's how Sunggyu ended up at the kitchen counter of the Summers' home, a glass of lemonade sitting in front of him, talking comfortably with Dawn's older sister about his family, the boys, his classes at UC Sunnydale.

After a few minutes, Sungyeol joined them with an annoyed look on his face, looking a little frazzled, the wide collar of his shirt hanging off of one shoulder. "It's a good thing we didn't bring Sungjong with us! Between the three of them, Dawn would end up at the recital in a towel." _Sunggyu tried not to let himself think that that wasn't the worst idea he had heard that day_.

Buffy handed him a glass of lemonade, "Got to be too much for you?"

Sungyeol blew a lock of his long hair out of his face in exasperation, "Those _two!_" He shook his head, "Hyung… you won't believe it. They're…" He turned his attention back to Buffy and narrowed your eyes, "Between your boyfriend and mine – I almost ended up in _your_leather pants!"

Buffy blanched. Sunggyu tried to hide his smile behind his cup.

"That's not true," Woohyun walked up behind Sungyeol, kissing his exposed shoulder quickly and then snatching the lemonade away, taking a long gulp. "They were way too short for your long legs and you know it."

"I don't know," Spike drawled lazily from the doorway. "I thought that was part of the perk? At least half of his calves would be exposed…"

"At least," Woohyun nodded seriously.

Sungyeol bristled and the other two men laughed.

_What the hell happened up there?_ Sunggyu had never seen Woohyun attach himself to anyone so quickly. And there he was – teasing Sungyeol with Spike like they had done this every day of their lives.

Buffy also seemed surprised – and … _relieved_?

He didn't have time to think more on that, because Woohyun was whistling softly – clapping Spike on the back – and Sungyeol was twirling Dawn around the kitchen as Buffy cooed softly, "That dress!"

Dawn beamed, "I forgot I had this! Mom—" her voice caught, but only Sunggyu and Buffy seemed to notice. "Anyway, it's old. And I haven't worn it in forever because it just didn't seem right – but Woohyun saw that the floral outer layer could be taken off easily and Yeollie found a black ribbon somewhere… and isn't it just loverly?!"

She was wearing a strappy, pale blue dress with an empire waist accented with a thin black ribbon, falling to mid-thigh. On anyone else as tall as Dawn, it may have looked childlike and a little ridiculous, but with her hair softly curling around her shoulders and falling down her back, a pair of black heels, the barest trace of glitter and thick, dark eyeliner framing her eyes, she looked… dark and regal.

"You're like the gothic version of Alice!" Willow said from the doorway. "And those legs! Sis – you have some damn fine legs. And I say that with both my lesbian card _and_ big sister card!"

Sunggyu wasn't sure when Willow had arrived. He didn't much care. He was too distracted.

"But won't you get cold? It's so short," Buffy muttered under her breath – her concern completely lost in what happened next.

"Almost put Prince Yeollie's legs to shame!" Woohyun twinkled in response to Willow's comment.

Sunggyu thought Woohyun and Spike would end in a fist fight – if Sungyeol didn't burst in and punch one of them himself, the two arguing over the effect of Dawn's legs versus Sungyeol's, but within half a minute they were laughing together and had somehow escorted the other two out to the car.

Sunggyu stood in the kitchen for a moment and then turned to Buffy, "Th-thank you so much for…?"

Buffy laughed and dragged him toward the door. "Just take care of my girl, okay? And …" She paused at the front door, suddenly turning serious, "Call Spike to come get her at the end of the night." She shook her head when he started to protest, "Spike's… an… I guess you could say he's an insomniac. And Dawn doesn't have much of a curfew."

Sunggyu bowed and murmured something in response before heading to the car, where Woohyun and Spike were standing, heads bowed and talking very seriously about something. He wasn't about to hazard a guess as to what. He suddenly had a terrible knot in the pit of his stomach that he had been fighting off for most of the day. Behind him, he heard Buffy call to him, "Even if you are going to drive, please call first!"

Spike nodded to him as he walked past, resting his hand on Sunggyu's shoulder for the shortest moment. As if in solidarity. A simple, unspoken understanding passed between them.

Sunggyu just wasn't sure what about.

Woohyun waited at the car, all the doors shut, the faint cries of Sungyeol complaining from the backseat coming through distilled and nearly inaudible. "Are you nervous?"

Sunggyu looked deep into his friend's eyes for a moment before replying, his tone short and a little snappish, "Ya Nam Woohyun!" His eyes flickered to the girl in the backseat, tucked up against Sungyeol, giggling at something he was showing her on his phone, a girl with legs to rival even their own Lee Sungyeol's. And then he didn't know whether he felt depleted or full or nervous or numb.

"What do you think?"


	12. Chapter 12

In which Dawn Summers is surprised... and we are all glad

A/N:: I fully admit taking bits of ideas/the setting of this chapter from L's toaster 'verse. I hope she'll forgive me. But it had to be done. ((Also - I apologize if the "Family" stuff is getting a little too... heavy-handed.))

She was sitting in the middle of a crowd of people who all seemed delighted to see her, there was a restless and nervous energy as they all waited for the performances to start, she was full of compliments and Woohyun had sought out coffee for her and Sungyeol, but she didn't hardly noticed.

Dawn Summers was exhausted.

Excited to see Dongwoo's performance, yes - of course. Thrilled to be surrounded by friends who were so happy to see her and each other. Happy to be out of the house on a weekend evening for any reason other than patrolling. (Still wondering why Buffy and Spike hadn't tried to talk her out of it.)

She was also barely hanging on.

The coffee in her hand would only do so much, she knew.

It wasn't as if she wasn't used to this. But usually on Saturday afternoons, she napped.

Okay, so she had a regular napping schedule. So she was the younger sister to the Slayer. She depended on those mid-afternoon naps to keep her going.

And really, it wouldn't have mattered so much that she missed today's. Saturday afternoons were rarely an exact science. Only the night before, she had stayed up late trying to get a translation done for Giles by morning in London; and only a couple hours after she had sent off the email, she was woken up when Buffy and Spike came home from patrol.

To be fair, they had tried to keep quiet. They always tried. She always heard them anyway.

And when she walked into the kitchen to see Spike pushing Buffy's dislocated shoulder back into place, a huge gash on his own arm spilling fresh blood all over the counter... well, it ended up being a long night.

And though they sent her to bed with the chance for at least five hours of uninterrupted rest before she needed to be up and at the Magic Box... sleep had completely eluded her. As of late, she'd had a strange tickling at the back of her mind - like she was forgetting something desperately important, but she couldn't figure out what it was. She felt, some nights, like the answer was turning her round and round in her brain on purpose. It was unsettling - made her feel nervous and on edge. Mostly at night.

Sungyeol said something and Woohyun laughed, breaking Dawn's train of thought. She looked around and then turned to Sungjong, who was sitting on the other side of her, with Suji cheerfully munching on candy beside him, "Where are Myungsoo and Sunggyu?" It was odd to see Sungyeol without Myungsoo beside him. (Though she had noticed that he seemed just as close with Woohyun - a friendship she would never have pegged as being so intimate.)

Sungjong raised his eyebrows, "You don't know?"

Sungjong seemed to exist in a permanent state of incredulity when dealing with other humans.

Fei reached up from where she was sitting behind them and brushed Dawn's hair away from her face gently, "Oh they're just backstage with Dongwoo - he was feeling awfully nervous."

Sungjong rolled his eyes, "Dongwoo never gets nervous before a performance-"

Dawn heard Woohyun mutter something under his breath and Sungyeol whisper something back - as if in comfort.

Hoya tugged on a lock of Sungjong's hair from his seat next to Jia, "Everyone gets nervous sometimes, Jjongy."

Suji tapped Sungjong's arm and dramatically whispered something in his ear. He fixed Dawn with a bright smile afterwards, putting his arm around Suji and squeezing her to him, "Right. He's … nervous."

Everyone was smiling just a bit too broadly... but Dawn really didn't have the energy to try to puzzle any of it out. She shrugged and took a long gulp of her coffee. After a few more moments of chatter, the lights dimmed and the performances began.

Some of them weren't very good. And when Dawn realized that Dongwoo was the very last to perform, she started getting antsy. She wished she could look at a program, keep herself aware of how much time had passed, how much more was left to sit through, but everyone appeared to lose theirs in some bizarre twist of fate.

Not that she was irritated.

After the intermission, Hoya squeezed Jia's hand shortly and then left to join Dongwoo, Myungsoo, and Sunggyu backstage. Dawn had heard the two of them making snarky comments to each other about the performers, their costume choices, the music choices... anything really, throughout the entire first half of the recital. Fei kept shushing them, but still there came a steady stream of comments - quietly enough so that not many people could hear, Dawn only picked up some of what was being said, but Fei was sitting next to Jia and could hear every word... Mostly what Dawn could hear was Fei scolding them (or occasionally laughing) and the rare chuckle from Sungjong when their voices carried.

The second half of the recital comprised of only three performers - according to the announcement made over an intercom. She could only hope it was correct, since Sungjong had given her such a sneer when she asked him to look at the program (mysteriously found and in his hands once more) that she didn't dare push it.

She leaned her head against Sungyeol's shoulder and yawned; finally allowing herself to show how tired she was. Yeollie rested his cheek against the top of her head, "You okay?"

She nodded. "Just … tired."

He wrapped one of his long arms around her and pulled her into his chest, "You won't regret staying. I promise."

Dawn just nodded in return. She didn't regret being there, she just needed to rest her head for a moment. When the lights started flickering - signalling wanderers back to their seats - Fei pressed a second cup of hot coffee into her hands silently before going back to her own seat (shooing off Sungyeol's inquiries for his own).

The second half was far more interesting than the first, Dawn thought. Though it could have just been the coffee. Or Sungyeol's mounting nervousness beside her.

In the darkness before Dongwoo began, Dawn turned to him and whispered harshly, "What are you so nervous about, anyway?"

Woohyun grabbed Sungyeol's hand with both of his and shot Dawn a glance, "Not nearly as nervous as me." His smile towards the stage was more like a grimace, Sungyeol draped his other hand over Woohyun's and Dawn turned away as they comforted each other.

_Drama Queens._

She heard Suji squeal softly, "This is it!"

A single spotlight illuminated Dongwoo appeared - dressed in skintight white shorts and a tanktop, in the shadows behind him Dawn saw Hoya dressed in a black echo of Dongwoo's outfit. On the left side of the stage, almost hidden, there were two stools and microphones, dimly lit with a bluish glow. Dongwoo smiled at the audience.

"We don't usually announce anything before... But I just wanted everyone in the audience to know how much this was truly a group effort. Without my... family, this dream could not have come true." He paused for a moment, as if waiting, then held out his arm to the stools, "I literally forced some of them to come on stage with me tonight, so please accept our hard work." He bowed.

Then everyone waited in silence as two black-clad figures took seat on the stools.

Everyone except Dawn, who gasped a little too loudly. And little Min behind her, who giggled with excitement and was shushed by Fei.

Myungsoo - holding a guitar, sat on one stool. Looking terrified for his life.

On the other sat Sunggyu.

It all began at once, Myungsoo softly strumming on the guitar; Dongwoo's controlled, fluid movements; Hoya a shadow, an echo hovering in the background; the beat of their feet on the ground; Sunggyu's voice.

_Sunggyu's voice._

The four of them seemed born to harmonize together, Dongwoo's movements the logical extension of Sunggyu's surprising voice, Hoya the shadow to the dance, an echo of Myungsoo's guitar, the pounding feet on the floor keeping a perfect rhythm to the music, tying the sound and movement together perfectly. All completely controlled, completely at one with each other; yet free... a perfect explosion of energy and symmetry, freedom and restraint.

It was an exercise of balance in every way.

Of finding balance.

At times, Sunggyu's voice turned thick, raspy, and with it, Dongwoo's motions became slower, there was a sense of moving stillness in his motions. At other times, Sunggyu's voice became sweet, soft, while Dongwoo moved faster, more erratically, his feet pounding on the floor as if to drown out the sound of Sunggyu's words. Woohyun and Myungsoo's parts likewise ebbed and flowed around and between each other, between the other three - a complete composition of push and pull.

Dawn saw, too - these four: two extroverts with smiles for everyone, two introverts brimming with so much need; two dancers - complete in their bodies, two artists - complete in such a different form of expression. These personalities that balanced each other, that worked and lived well side-by-side; that were even more complete with the other three there, too. The seven of them pushing and pulling and demanding balance of each other - finding it only through a constant give and take.

It was genius. It was perfect. It meant so much more to those sitting there beside her, she sensed. They all could see Dongwoo performing his ridiculous family unit, expressing the energy and collision of their lives through raw movement and sound. She heard Fei sniff softly and Jia murmer to her. She felt Sungyeol shift as he put his arm around Woohyun.

_Family_.

Dawn would never admit this, but everything seemed to blur together after a while. She knew that Dongwoo was beyond incredible - that Hoya's presence revealed his own talent, while still existing primarily to accentuate Dongwoo's movements - but she hardly saw them; the flashing of black and white on the stage, tumbling and leaping over and around each other, blurred.

All she was really ever conscious of was Sunggyu's voice.

(And also a little bit, the look of pure rapture and ecstasy on his face as he sang.)

_(It was erotic, his face, she decided; but wouldn't let herself admit.)_

She leaned forward a little bit in her chair, trying to get closer to the sound, to its raw sensuality. Sensual not just in Sunggyu's sudden (and surprising) evocative sexuality... but also just in the raw physicality of it. As if the notes were made tangible as they passed from his lips; as if she could reach out and touch them; as if she would finally understand something absolute when she held his voice in her hands. As if he were touching her somewhere she had never known could be exposed.

She was the only one that didn't notice him watching her as he sang.

As the song started to dwindle down, Sunggyu's voice softening, stretching out, wriggling back into the hidden spaces from which it came, an irrational thought began to take form. When all that was left was Dongwoo's body on the stage, moving in silence, hard and fast in an explosion of emotion, Dawn was jolted back to reality. And when all was still - in that split second between Dongwoo's final head bow and the crowd erupting into applause, that thought finally took root:

_Xander is never going to believe they aren't demons now._


	13. Chapter 13

**title**: In which I finally give you a plot

**fandom**: Buffy, Infinite, Miss A

**characters**: Jia-Buffy(-Willow) broship; Dawniegyu; "the long-suffering wives club"; (ot7; miss a)

**word count**: ~2800

**summary**: _One doesn't grow up the sister of a warrior without learning a little bit about knowing who needs protection. One doesn't grow up surrounded by knights of old without wanting a cause worth fighting for. _  
**a/n:** I'm actually pretty proud of this chapter. I've been holding off on doing this for a while ... sort of loitering around. But I'm finally comfortable with where I am and where the characters are to let them go here.

Everyone roared to their feet, the auditorium erupting into a bright cascade of clapping and whistling and excited shouting, talking, laughing. Dawn had been hauled to her feet with the rest – though from her own accord or some combined effort of Sungyeol and Sungjong, she wasn't sure. Nor did she care.

Suji was jumping up and down with excitement, talking quickly in Sungjong's ear – who was beaming up at the stage. Behind her, Dawn could hear Min's small voice, a strange mixture of languages erupting from her tiny body that only Jia seemed to understand fully, who was laughing and holding on to Fei.

Hoya, with his wolfish smile, was the first to hop down from the stage. Ignoring the stairs and proper etiquette, he leaped right down to Jia and kissing her firmly on the mouth; then sweeping Min up into a big bear hug, twirling her around as she squealed with delight. Even though Min was only a few months younger than her, Dawn often forgot how close in age they were. Min had less of a grasp on English than any of the others and had chosen to be home-schooled by Jia that year to focus on her language skills, rather than struggle through public school. In comparison to Suji's natural reserve, Min seemed to have no end of energy. She sometimes seemed to wiggle with the excess trying to seep out of her skin. She was much more shy with Dawn, but always very at home and playful with the boys; teasing them and playing with them in a boyish way.

Right as Dawn turned back, Dongwoo had just walked up to them and was promptly accosted by Sungyeol, who ducked down and kissed his cheek chastely, and then Woohyun, whose kiss was neither chaste nor quick nor on his cheek.

And the funny thing was, when Woohyun reached up and pulled Sungyeol away from Dongwoo by the hair so he could kiss the smaller man properly, it didn't surprise her at all.

"Dawn."

She turned and there was Spike.

And something was wrong.

"Spike?" she reached out and there was a hand, soft, warm, twining between her fingers and pressing into her skin for support and comfort. "Spike, what? … It isn't-?" But the thought got caught in her throat and all there was in her range of consciousness was Spike's eyes, her own fear, and a hand caught in hers.

"No – well. Buffy's fine."

Fei broke through and bowed softly to Spike. "Annyong. Is everything okay?" Her eyes were full of concern. Through the haze, Dawn realized that her own small group had grown still. They were all waiting with her.

Spike bobbed to her, "Yes and no. It's just… Willow. It's Anya. Willow needs your help, little bit."

Well that wasn't cryptic at all. Dawn nodded and took a breath, ready to turn and make her apologies when out of the corner of her eye…

_All around there was only dust and death and sweat._

_She was in a pit. There was nothing left. She was running and running and running._

_There were others – they were lost – where was …?_

… a striking woman. Her head was shaved just above her ears, long dark hair flowing down over her face so that Dawn couldn't see. But when she passed…

_The world was spinning and everything was too still and couldn't they feel it, too?_

_Screaming. _

_She was screaming. _

_She was searching for something, what… something._

_Bones. All around her bones and dust._

… she had the uneasy sensation that she had seen her before – had seen that gentle sway, the tattoos of knives on exposed hipbones, the long sinewy arms lifted…

_The memory of the brightest light, a smile, an explosion, an admission…_

_Then running._

_Running from the screams from the death from the end._

_And why couldn't they hear it too?!_

"Want a drink?"

Buffy looked up toward the voice. She had been standing slumped against the kitchen counter, her head in her hands. It had been four hours since Anya was injured in the Magic Box by an unknown demon. Three since Spike had come home, Dawn in Sunggyu's arms. Only three hours since Buffy's heart felt like it might stop right in her chest at the sight of her sister, so small, carried like a sleeping child in the arms of a strange boy with a haggard look in his eye.

_He loves her_.

It was the millionth, second, third thought that crossed through Buffy's scattered mind. Just after: _Please not again _and _who will help Willow bring back Anya?_

If there was ever a moment when she needed a drink, it was right now. She nodded at the girl standing awkwardly in the doorway, her hair an odd color of orange that seemed to express her quirky personality almost as much as her wide, honest smile. "Buffy, right?" She said. Her accent was slightly thicker than the others' Buffy noted as she nodded in assent. The girl smiled as she opened two bottles of cheap beer Spike kept stashed in the basement fridge for those odd nights when he wanted something lighter, "Jia."

Buffy shuddered as she took a long draft of the foul liquid. She would never develop a taste for alcohol. Even if she had developed a need for it that night. "You're still here?"

Jia took a sip of the beer in her hand and grimaced, staring at the bottle. "Where is the bag Hoya dropped off?" Buffy shrugged and they looked around the kitchen. Jia found it folded neatly and set on the dining room table. At the sight, she smiled and skipped over to open the freezer door, pulling out a green bottle that was just beginning to frost. "My man. I trained him well," she said it with a giggle, a little tongue in cheek – as if she really had nothing to do with Hoya's manners. Jia found shot glasses and poured one for herself and Buffy. They clinked and swung, and then Buffy started coughing.

"Soju," Jia choked out between her laughter. "It'll grow on you."

After the fourth shot, Buffy asked again. "You're still here?"

Jia shrugged, "Fei."

Maybe it was the soju, or maybe it was just the way Jia said it, but it made perfect sense to Buffy that Jia would stay as long as Fei did. That she would send her boyfriend away and do shots in a strange kitchen with a girl she didn't know, because Fei was upstairs.

About a half hour after Sunggyu had shouldered his way through the Summer's door and carried Dawn up to her room (laying her gently on the bed, taking off her shoes with care, covering her with a thin blanket as Spike whispered to Buffy where they stood in the doorway watching helplessly _He wouldn't let her go. Even in the car. Sat with her in his lap. I couldn't shake him._) the doorbell had rung and there stood Jia, Fei, Woohyun, Hoya, and Dongwoo – each with a pot of food in their hands.

Fei had marched straight up to Buffy, as Spike gently lead Woohyun upstairs to where Sunggyu sat vigil over Dawn, and said, "Something is wrong with Anya. I can help." Buffy had started to protest, but Fei had just grabbed her arm, "Trust me."

Willow was waiting for word from the nearest coven – somewhere in the suburbs of Los Angeles – but the chances of them having a witch skilled enough to help Willow was doubtful. And though Dawn wasn't as skilled as Willow, her _energy_ was inexhaustible. They had yet to set aside time to figure out what being the Key might mean for Dawn's future, but for now she was as good to Willow in terms of strength and power as a whole coven of _skilled _witches. And they were starting to work well together, Dawn picking up little tricks and able to assist more and more. But she remained somewhat fearful, though mostly apathetic, to witchcraft – no matter how much Willow cajoled her into trying more.

Whatever was in the wound on Anya's arm, it needed a magickal cure.

But Buffy's mind was on her comatose sister lying in her bed upstairs. She shrugged and gestured Fei up and went to hide in the kitchen.

Which had either been the best idea or the worst.

She walked in to see Hoya holding Jia to his chest, one hand lost in her long hair, the other grasping her waist. He saw Buffy come in and nodded respectfully, whispering to Jia and kissing her forehead before turning to leave.

"Suji and Min need to be in bed by midnight!"

He didn't turn or pause, "I know."

"And don't let Min have too much dairy."

"I know."

"Don't let the younger ones worry about Dawnie too much."

"I know."

She started to follow him, calling out instructions to his retreating back as he kept walking. She could hear Woohyun giving Dongwoo similar instructions at the was still here – in the living room with a bottle of something dark being passed between him and Spike in the dark.

Buffy took another shot and shuddered, looking into her glass. "When will I get used to it?"

Jia laughed, "I don't think _you_ will." Her tone was teasing, light-hearted. Buffy giggled back and started to pour another. Jia snatched the bottle out of her hand. "I know it doesn't seem like it, but your legs probably don't work right now. Take it easy."

Buffy looked blearily at her, "I'm not a lightweight."

"Sure you're not. Just wait 'till you try walking after six shots of soju on an empty stomach." Jia hopped off her stool lightly. "But wait for me to get back, because I want to see you try. Where's the toilet?"

Buffy waved her hand toward the stairs, "Up and end of the hall."

"Sweet. Thanks." She skipped away, calling over her shoulder, "Please stay on your stool, kay?"

Willow trotted down the stairs as Jia went up, coming into the kitchen with a sigh, "Who _are_ these people?" She lifted the lid of one of the pots Hoya and Dongwoo had put into the fridge and sniffed, smiling and pulling it out, along with a tupperware of something that from the outside looked like spaghetti, but Buffy was sure it wasn't. "That Fei girl? Most powerful wicca I've ever come across. But not like… I don't know how to explain it. Her magick was so different from mine, it took us a while to get in synch and then it was like BOOM."

Buffy rubbed her elbow with one hand, "Wait. Start from the beginning. Fei's wicca?"

"I don't think so. I mean.. yes and no. I don't think she'd necessarily call it that. Wicca is very Western, you know."

Buffy shook her head. _How could she possibly know a factoid like that? Especially after a night like this?_

Willow held out a forkful of the spaghetti-looking substance, "Kimchi? It's really good."

Buffy wrinkled her nose and the smell and felt her stomach roll.

Jia was in the doorway laughing. "Oh I don't think she can stomach anything right now. Just took six shots of soju in less than an hour. Probably should just go to bed." She clapped Buffy hard on the back.

"I'm _fine_."

"Sure. How are your legs?"

"Perfect! Never worked better. I have fabulous legs. Always do what I tell them. _Verrrry_ obedient."

"Show me."

It was a trap. Buffy should have known that. But she wasn't expecting the whole world to start swaying – it was usually so calm and still, such a nice world not letting its inhabitants know how fast it spun through the galaxy, and now suddenly that fact was all too clear to Buffy and where her knees buckling?!

Jia grabbed her around the waist and pulled Buffy's arm over her shoulder, Willow quickly coming to her other side. "Time for bed, kid."

"But Dawnie…" her tongue felt thick. That was odd. She knew her tongue fit in her mouth when she woke up that morning.

Jia tsked in her throat. "Someone in this house needs a full night's rest and it's not going to be those drama queens in the living room, so it might as well be us."

Somehow they were already in Buffy's room and Willow was putting a soft t-shirt over her head and Jia turned down the covers and she was being tucked in like a toddler and it felt so nice to be surrounded by such fluffy soft things but then – "Wait!" They looked down at her. "You're going to leave me _alone_?"

Jia smiled, "I figured you'd want -"

"No! damnit if Spike could drown himself in a bottle of whiskey with his new best pal and if Sunggyu was going to stay with Dawn all night and anyway Anya is in Willow's bed and …"

"Shh… we'll stay."

Willow climbed into bed on one side and Jia on the other, Buffy grabbed their hands and pulled them to her chest. "You guys are _so nice_. The nicest."

Jia chuckled and it was low and genuine and Buffy smiled.

Over her head, Willow whispered, "Jia? The food…"

"Don't worry about it," Jia yawned. "Fei will be looking for something productive to do in an hour or so. It'll keep her from organizing the recycling."

And Buffy snored in agreement.

Sunggyu heard Woohyun come up and try talking to him.

But he didn't respond.

What was there to say, "Sorry but the girl that I love is in a coma and I'm not budging?"

Words are redundant.

He heard Buffy stumble into bed with a giggling Jia and Willow.

He heard Spike pace the hallway until Woohyun and Fei calmly lead him back downstairs.

He felt the sunrise slowly enter the room; felt it before he saw it. The heat. The simple life of it warming his cold limbs, frozen in place as if in a spell.

She had reached for his hand, had took it in her, had twined his fingers through hers, had squeezed it in her fear… She had reached for him. And he wasn't letting go until she woke up.

He heard the other house occupants starting to stir.

"They're waiting for you," he whispered.

He was teasing her.

He needed her to wake up so that she could hear that he was teasing her.

"We're all waiting for you."

He reached up and brushed a lock of hair from her face, caressing the line of her jaw with his fingertip.

He held her hand and waited.

Around noon, as near as he could figure, the door opened slowly and Spike walked in – a very hungover Buffy teetering behind him.

"Any change?" she whispered.

"No," he shook his head and sighed.

He needed to stretch. There was a crick in his neck. He needed to pee, to get a drink of water. He would wait – but he needed to be ready when she woke up.

Her sister was here now, he could take just ten minutes to…

But as he slid his hand out of hers, she grabbed it and shot straight up, eyes wide.

"I need a phone."

"Dawn!" Buffy started crying and rushed to the bed, babbling incoherently. Spike swore and Sunggyu could hear Woohyun and the others bound up the stairs.

"Everybody shut up. I need a phone I said," Dawn was obviously impatient. Like she had just been taking a simple nap and in the meantime everyone had lost their minds.

Her thumb rubbed purposefully over his knuckles and he looked back at her, she smiled shyly at him.

"I was waiting," he said stupidly.

"I know." She turned back to her sister, Sunggyu's hand still firmly gripped in her own. "Buffy. Listen. I need a phone. Right now."

Buffy wiped her eyes, "But why? Dawnie what happened?"

And then everyone was talking at once again, Willow and Fei in a corner arguing about magick, Jia trying to calm them down, Woohyun silently watching Spike pace the floor and mutter to himself…

Dawn turned back to him, her eyes clear.

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and handed it to her, adjusting himself to sit on the bed facing her as he did so. She squeezed his hand softly and then took the phone from him, concentrating as she dialed.

With the phone pressed against one ear, she held up her hand to silence everyone, setting it down on Sunggyu's thigh as she bit her lip and waited for the connection.

"Angel, what the fuck did you do?"


End file.
